On Tuesday 21st April 2020 a fire broke out which decimated 50 apartments in two of the four residential blocks at Springfield Mill. Quantum Survey & Project Management (QSPM) were appointed by our Client, Wildheart, to liaise with various owners and leaseholders to begin the long road to reinstatement of the Grade II listed building, which was constructed as a lace mill in 1888.
The damage caused was substantial, with the roof, spanning approximately 1000m2, being destroyed and water damage throughout all four floors being evident after the fire service had to use the water from the canal opposite to douse the flames.
The strip out works, specialist drying and treatments for mould growth took approximately 18months to complete before the reinstatement works began. During this time, QSPM had to undertake extensive research and intrusive investigations to ensure that the specification and scope of works were a true reflection of the parts of the building that had been lost in the fire.
Any elements of the original building that could be salvaged or restored were, and any items or materials that couldn’t were carefully sourced. Roof timbers to match the original that couldn’t be salvaged were sourced from France and high specification bespoke kitchens to match those destroyed during the fire came had to be sourced from Italy.
The clock that sits at the highest point of the building was extensively damaged in the fire and had to be carefully removed from site to be restored to its former glory. Any brickwork that could be saved had to be dry ice blasted to remove smoke and soot residue, with any brickwork that had perished in the fire being replaced with carefully sourced reclaimed bricks following approval from local Heritage.
Three Winning Facts:
- All works were completed to reinstate the original features of the building, inclusive of the clock tower, to the satisfaction of Heritage.
- Works were completed to upgrade elements to meet the current Building Regulations.
- Leaseholders and owners of the apartments were consulted to offer individual choices for each of their properties.
