A NEW construction and historic buildings restoration company is being launched in York employing local craftsman and key staff who previously worked at the collapsed William Anelay Ltd.

The new company, Heritage Building & Conservation (York) Ltd, will provide traditional craft skills and expertise to support heritage property owners, professional teams, and local authorities throughout the north.

It has offices in York and Manchester and has recruited local craftsmen with traditional skills and significant experience of working with historic buildings.

Heritage Building & Conservation (York) Ltd is being led by historic buildings specialist Chris Quinn, who has been active in the heritage building sector for 12 years, including major projects such as Castle Howard, Pontefract Castle, Hexham Abbey, and York Minster, and Sam Weller, a former stonemason, whose experience includes working on a garden obelisk at the Highgrove Estate for Prince Charles, Scarborough Rotunda and Wentworth Castle.

Both men previously worked at William Anelay Ltd.

Mr Quinn said: “This is an entirely new and separate company with a fresh team, bags of energy, top-level heritage buildings experience and a bright future thanks to our backing from a South African businessman recognised internationally for his work in the historic buildings sector and preserving traditional craft skills.

“The north of England’s history as a significant religious, government, utility and industrial heartland of the UK, means that there is, and always will be, a need to maintain and restore its many beautiful, spectacular and historic buildings and Heritage Building & Conservation (York) Ltd is committed to doing this to the highest possible standards.”

York Press:

The new company, which has employed local craftsman and key staff experienced in heritage construction, some of whom worked at multiple award-winning William Anelay Ltd, already has several projects in the pipeline, including the completion of works at Bradford City Hall, and the restoration of an historic private house in Hertfordshire.

It is a subsidiary of HB&C Investments Ltd, Waltham Cross, and will work alongside a sister business, Heritage Building and Conservation Ltd, which has offices in Huntingdon and Lichfield, to support heritage building and restoration projects across the UK.

HB&C Investments Ltd, owned by well-known South African businessman, Gordon Verhoef, now also owns two former York-based companies, Hare and Ransome Joinery and Lowery Roofing, which were previously part of the William Anelay group, which completed scores of high-profile historic and listed buildings schemes, but were not affected by its trading difficulties.

Mr Verhoef, who has been working since 1960, has a strong, internationally-recognised commitment to preserving traditional craftsmanship and skills. He has spent the last six decades in the restoration, conservation and building industry internationally.

As well as running a main contracting business in South Africa, he has several UK businesses, including London-based restoration and new-build stone company, Szerelmey, one of the oldest companies of its kind in the UK.

During the past few years Gordon Verhoef established Chichester Stoneworks Ltd, Chichester, after the demise of the well-respected Cathedral Works Organisation and launched Heritage Building and Conservation Ltd following the collapse of Fairhurst Ward Abbotts, Dartford.