Torre Abbey
For over 800 years, Torre Abbey has stood its ground and watched the world change around it. Today, it’s one of Devon’s most remarkable historic buildings – it’s listed as a scheduled ancient monument, giving it the highest level of historical and architectural importance and protection in the UK. Our role: to understand and protect that legacy. For 16 months, we worked to restore the Mohun Gatehouse, South Ranges, Chapel and courtyard ruin walls.
The show must go on
We planned each phase so we could keep the project moving while the Abbey stayed open to the public. It was no mean feat, though, to keep the Grade I listed Premonstratensian monastery and its visitors safe every day. All of the complex scaffolding had to be freestanding, with no tying to the building allowed – and the sea being a stone’s throw away only added to the challenge. The team made it work, as always; setting up a temporary roof over the gatehouse to keep the elements at bay while work continued beneath.
Treading carefully
The gatehouse parapet had shifted so far that it needed to be dismantled before being rebuilt in its rightful place. Hidden frames and tie systems brought strength and structure to the Abbey’s fragile masonry. Worn-out and inappropriate cement renders were replaced, sash windows repaired and draft-proofed, and the chapel gable and 18th-century tracery window dismantled and rebuilt. A lot of careful work, all so Torre Abbey can carry on looking very much like Torre Abbey – a job well done.
