Old Brewery House, Henley-on-Thames

One of the first formal applications concerned the replacement of modern kitchenette and WC fixtures. The Heritage Officer accepted the evidence that these elements were 21st-century additions and that their removal would not affect historic fabric. Listed Building Consent P26/S1216/LB was granted on 16 June 2026. Although modest in physical scale, the consent established the working relationship which has governed the wider project: evidence first, intervention second.

The external masonry required a different approach. Parts of the building had been repaired using cementitious materials unsuited to the historic masonry. A conservation package was therefore developed comprising removal of inappropriate cementitious mortar, lime repointing, repair of rainwater goods, replacement of locally spalled masonry, and controlled cleaning of the façade. Listed Building Consent P26/S2366/LB was granted on 11 August 2026, with the Heritage Officer describing the proposed works as an enhancement to the listed building.

The basement currently provides approximately 48 sqm but suffers from highly restricted headroom, varying from around 1.77m to 2.05m. Research established that this is not an untouched Georgian basement. The floor was already lowered by approximately 400mm under the 2003 consent, with its construction subsequently engineered and approved through a further Listed Building Consent in 2004. The current pre-application strategy therefore explores recovering additional headroom by first removing modern suspended ceiling construction and then, only where necessary, lowering the modern floor slab by up to a further 300mm. The historic brick piers, arches and principal structural fabric remain untouched. The purpose is not simply to create more space. It is to relocate WCs, services and ancillary functions into an already altered lower-significance part of the building so that more sensitive upper floors can remain comparatively undivided.

The rear elevation contains one of the most interesting opportunities. Historic drawings demonstrate that the awkward pitched roof over the modern rear extension and the truncation of a former first-floor opening are both consequences of relatively recent work. A new pre-application proposal therefore explores removing the later pitched roof, replacing it with a lower flat roof and discreet terrace, and reinstating the original proportions of the historic opening. The solid built form would actually reduce: the existing pitched roof disappears and the new guarding is designed as a visually lightweight intervention. The proposal is therefore conceived not as an addition placed onto an historic building, but as an opportunity to remove awkward later fabric while adding contemporary amenity.

The initial broad pre-application received objections to elements of the loft proposals, including dormers, a rooflight and a staircase. Rather than simply resubmitting the same design, we changed it. The prominent rooflight was removed entirely. The quantity of dormers was reduced and their position redesigned around newly identified existing roof geometry so that they could be more effectively concealed. The staircase was then reconsidered using new evidence demonstrating that the short section of balustrade affected is not original fabric and that much of the loft landing construction is itself modern. This iterative process is important to the case study: conservation engagement is being used to improve the scheme rather than merely secure an approval.

The building contains 24 recorded windows. Our current approach is deliberately conservative: retention is the default. No sash is proposed for replacement simply because it is in poor condition. Individual windows are being investigated to establish date, timber, joinery profile, mechanism, glazing and surviving historic glass. Repair and local timber splicing are preferred wherever possible, and historic cylinder or crown glass is to remain in place or be carefully reset where intervention becomes unavoidable. The current strategy expressly avoids introducing double-glazed units where doing so would compromise historic proportions. At the same time, surviving internal shutters are being investigated for reinstatement - a conservation benefit and a practical one, since restoring their historic function helps reduce solar gain before any mechanical cooling is required.

Much of the internal panelling and decorative treatment appears to relate to the major 2003 office refurbishment, but we are not assuming that all of it does. The current methodology divides finishes according to evidential confidence. Modern fabric can be repaired and redecorated conventionally. Uncertain or potentially historic joinery is instead recorded and subjected to paint analysis before abrasive preparation takes place. No wholesale stripping or replacement of panelling is proposed. This is a more forensic approach than simply specifying a decorative refurbishment and is particularly appropriate to a Grade II* building.

The project is being deliberately progressed through a sequence of relatively focused consents and pre-application enquiries. Two Listed Building Consents have already been secured, while additional packages concerning the basement, rear roof, loft, internal finishes, windows, shutters and environmental systems are being developed through targeted consultation. That approach allows each part of the building to be understood properly rather than bundling a large number of interventions into a single application and treating them as though they carry equal heritage impact. The office can consequently continue functioning while its longer-term conservation programme develops.