Lewis Conservation

20/01/2022

I recently had the pleasure of advising a potential purchaser on the acquisition of a medieval tower house and adjoining farmhouse in northern Cumbria, Cumberland as we used to call it! It was a fascinating insight into 15th century life when the gentry sought to defend themselves from Scottish raids, and their neighbours!

20/01/2022

A grand day out today doing a drone survey of the clock tower on the stables at Holker Hall.

05/11/2020

N E W B L O G
I am excited to announce the launch of my 'Historical Building Blog' & sharing with you the impressive historic buildings I conserve & research.
My first blog features one of my favourite Tudor manors, Gaythorne Hall in Westmorland. Learn about the landscape discoveries I found using an ancient 1239 charter.
Where is the ancient mill pond at Gaythorne Hall? What is the Great D**e? Have the ancient stones still survived?
Find out now... https://bit.ly/34Y788M

Gaythorne Hall, Tudor manor house in Westmorland, Cumbria. Discover the ancient land boundaries & what Paul Lewis discovered...

24/10/2020

Townend in Troutbeck, Lake District is the most famous statesman’s houses in Cumbria. Built in the 17th century, this stone & slate farmhouse is Grade I listed. The house was owned by the Browne family for 400 years before being donated to the Nation Trust. I managed the structural repairs & new lime render to this wonderful conserved historic building.

10/10/2020

Derwent Island House
I carried out a quinquennial survey of this stunning Grade II listed house. Derwent Island House is an 18th century Italianate style building situated on Derwent Island in the Lake District and owned by the National Trust. It is leased out but 5 days of the year it is open to the public, definitely worth a visit!

20/09/2020

19/09/2020

'Restoring Northumberland's Landmarks'
Built in 1775 for the Duke of Northumberland, Kielder Castle was built in the Gothick style, and used as a shooting box. The castle was also rebuilt in the mid 19th century with parts in Tudor style. I managed the roof repairs of this Grade II listed castle, which is now used as a visitor centre. Definitely worth a visit to see this impressive historic castle.

17/09/2020

I had a lovely day today recording Craketrees in the Lyvennet valley...probably a 14th century manor house in a 3-unit plan... I have never seen a more elaborate fire window with heraldry...more to follow when the full video is compiled.

13/09/2020

Man has made his mark on the landscape of the Upper Eden Valley for 5,000 years, but none with more confidence and elegance than the railway engineers who drove their lines of iron and stone across the valley and through the Smardale Gorge. Joining both sides of the Pennines, the South Durham and Lancashire Union Railway built this viaduct in 1860; they came for the lime to burn in their forges and left us with a strident example of our industrial heritage. In contrast, walkers will pass over the cattle drovers’ bridge downstream and perhaps ponder on how the railways put an end to a timeless tradition of moving cattle to market. But how many will notice the Iron Age cultivation terraces on the hillside nearby?

09/09/2020

‘A Georgian Gem’
This Grade II listed 1750 Georgian house changed hands for the first time last year since it was built. I am helping the new owner with the careful conservation of masonry, plasters and paintwork using traditional materials and techniques. The interior has never been altered so it is a rare surviving example of elegant Georgian living. This year we will be redesigning the swept entrance and gates to make it safer for vehicle use. The house sits within ¼ mile of the Roman Wall; not surprisingly, about 1/3 of the masonry in the walls is Roman! There is nothing new about ‘upcycling’, it seems.

04/09/2020

‘Watching the cows at night’

Whilst surveying an old 17th century farmhouse in the Lake District World Heritage Site, I came across this window in one of the bedrooms that looked down into the adjacent cow byre. Clearly, the farmer loved his animals and offered 24 hour care and attention 🐮

03/09/2020

In our first series of short films on historic buildings and their landscapes, we will be exploring the upper Eden Valley in Cumbria. Come and join us as we visit fascinating ancient places and take a walk through time in this secret corner of Northern England. Tudor Gaythorne Hall will be one of our places to visit and here is a bird’s eye view. Follow us on Facebook, there is much more to come.