Issue 48 AUG 25 web - Flipbook - Page 120
Pilbeam protects Newhaven
Fort for future generations
Sussex contractor Pilbeam Construction is celebrating after completing its work on the £7.5m
restoration of Newhaven Fort, which will safeguard the attraction for generations to come.
The 12-month project required heritage expertise and
careful liaison with Historic England as the Scheduled
Ancient Monument was painstakingly improved.
The work resolved serious damp issues and transformed
buildings into new event spaces, which will help the fort
to broaden its appeal beyond military history enthusiasts
and put Newhaven on the map as a visitor destination.
Alan Corbett, managing director of Pilbeam
Construction, said: “We are proud to have been involved
in this important restoration of Newhaven Fort – and to
meet visitors who are overjoyed with the transformation.
“Preserving a Scheduled Ancient Monument such as the
fort is a careful balancing act. We could make repairs and
changes, but because of the listed status of the site,
Historic England kept a tight rein on any changes, even
if they were originally poorly constructed.
“Our specialist work needed to preserve the fort, without
making it look like it had been disturbed. Communication
was key. Without a doubt the biggest challenge was restoring 18 casemates and turning them into the warm and
welcoming exhibition spaces they are today.”
Pilbeam Construction has extensive experience in the
heritage building sector which meant it was well placed
to deal with the challenges involved, while site manager
Simon Hepworth lives in Newhaven and has visited the
fort multiple times as a local resident.
Materials had to be transported across a small and narrow
bridge with a five-tonne weight limit, so the team set up
an external compound and carefully planned for the
machinery required.
The biggest job was restoring 18 casemates (vaults within
the site) and solving a serious damp problem. The team
removed 300 cubic metres of soil, laid a membrane and
drainage and then put all the soil back. This will prevent
90% of water ingress.
Pilbeam’s experts then carefully removed paint and added
ventilation, creating dry, warm and welcoming exhibition
spaces, with brickwork that pops with natural colours.
The casemates now provide an enhanced visitor
experience and two of the casemates are available for
venue hire.
Some of the historic mass concrete was removed to
expose and repair steelwork, and provide reinforcement
to the gun emplacement roofs, which required specialist
techniques such as hydro demolition and a sprayed
concrete method.
The complicated project included more than 30
different elements and careful liaison with other specialist
contractors working to improve the site.
Other key repairs within the project included essential
repairs to WWII gun emplacements, improvements to
site entrance and accessibility and repointing and masonry
repairs to casemate frontages.
The Romney Hut was reclad to provide a versatile event
space, there were improvements to handrails and edge
protection and there were repairs to WWII canopies over
the gun emplacements.
Ryan Stock from heritage specialists Pritchard
Architecture said: “This conservation-led project required
a collaborative relationship with Historic England which
allowed us to develop radical, but sensitive interventions.
