OXFORD COLLEGE
REFURBISHMENT

WG Carter undertook a major refurbishment and restoration project to replace the roof of a Grade I listed building for an Oxford College. The original building was constructed in the 1700’s and still houses a number of traditional Oxford university staircases with student accommodation, Fellows rooms and seminar rooms.

The project involved the complete refurbishment of a 60m long mansard roof on one of the main buildings in the college quadrangle. The four-sided hip roof has two slopes on each of its sides, the lower, much steeper slope, punctured by dormer windows along the length of the building. The roof was originally built as a flat roof, which was extended in the 1920s with a mansard roof to increase the accommodation with a number of loft rooms, without the addition of another storey.

Under a temporary roof that stretched the entire length of the building, WG Carter removed the existing copper roof to replace it with like for like and replaced the Stonesfield slates on the sloping roofs. The dormer windows were replaced with new metal casement windows and the final touch was new lead parapet guttering.

We also carried out extensive repairs to all the 110 sash windows. Each of which was removed and carefully repaired by stripping the frames back to bare wood and splicing in new wood to replace any rotten or damaged wood, before re-priming, repainting and reinstating.

Whilst on site WG Carter undertook a complete refurbishment of the interior accommodation in order to upgrade the study bedrooms in the original listed college buildings. This included a complete re-wiring of electrics and data, replacing the plumbing and a total redecoration throughout.

Being Grade I listed, the focus was on conservation and every structural alteration required liaison with the conservation, ecological or archaeological officers in order to preserve the finished look and feel of this important historic building.

Architect: Carter Jonas