San Carlo, Leicester
Project Overview :
The former Victoria Coffee House, now San Carlo, Leicester, is a wonderful stone-faced example of an iconic Grade II listed, heritage property overlooking one of Leicester’s main city centre roads. From our initial discussions with the client, it quickly became clear that in order to return the property to a state that better reflected its heritage, initially a façade and roof inspection would provide us with the key details and information regarding the defects and the level of work required.
Within Leicester’s vibrant city centre, the ex-Victorian coffee house now stands out as a jewel in the city’s property portfolio, with many historic properties being replaced with modern alternatives. It was now essential that this Grade II listed property received the attention required to protect it for the future and ensure it maintained its wonderful visual appeal for years to come.
The drone survey provided a good initial view of the challenges ahead, but to truly understand the extent and scope of work required it was agreed that a tactile abseil condition survey would be undertaken as the first phase of the works. The survey when complete, provided us with essential fabric condition information that was used to develop the holistic scope of repairs to be utilised in phase 2 of the project, the repairs. The report produced from the survey included prioritised short and long-term actions, from which the client was able to choose their preference and re-align the façade’s visual and performance needs.
Through a collaborative approach from the outset, the creation of the potential scope, options and deep level of detail within the report, by taking on board the client’s feedback and working within the confines of a listed building and the conservation officer’s needs, we were able to then successfully deliver the repair phase and reinvigorate this wonderful Victorian façade.