Preserving history of Newark's 140-year-old Victorian Arcade for future with major 6 month refurbishment
A historic building is back to looking it's best thanks to the work of a dedicated tradesman.
Newark's Arcade had long since seen better days, with a leaky roof, a patchwork of paint and make do repairs.
Lee Armes of LA Decor Ltd carried out the extraordinary restoration on the Arcade and explained how he got a lot more than he bargained for on the job.
He said: “I came to the Arcade in June to do some touch ups and minor refurbishments. But every single day we were finding new problems, it’s been six months now and nothing went to plan.
“Each job would take ten times longer than we’d planned for because we were discovering issues and problem solving as we went along.
“At first the wooden sills looked fine but once you drilled into them they were rotten throughout so they had to be replaced completely, the tiles were cracked or barely hanging on, double the amount of paneling had to be replaced and there were holes in the walls big enough to fit your hand in that needed to be concreted.
Newark's Victorian Arcade had been preserved for future generations following a major refurbishment. Photo: Lee Armes. (61217927)
“The Arcade is known is Newark as the 'Leaky Arcade' and now I know why. We investigated the roof and saw that the lead flashing had separated from the wall.
“So we put in water proofing and created a run off to prevent water from running straight down the brickwork and into the building."
New panels and hinge cabinets were installed so that downpipes could more easily be accessed in the future. (61163040)
Lee also replaced entire sections of the the rusted Victorian guttering, which was so thin in places that they would crumble when touched. Wooden cabinets with hinges were also installed around downpipes to make future maintenance easier.
Gates and shops were also given a fresh coat of paint in traditional colours used on other heritage buildings.
“We went above and beyond on this job and impossible is the only word I can use to describe it." Lee said.
“I honestly thought the job would finish me before I finished it.”
Newark's Victorian Arcade had been preserved for future generations following a major refurbishment. Photo: Lee Armes. (61217803)
Once the major issues had been addressed, Lee could turn his attention to restoring the character of the 140 year old listed building.
Antique tiles were salvaged from an old theatre built in the late 1800s in order to find a perfect match for the Arcade. Where materials couldn’t be salvaged or reused, they were ordered from specialists including tiles handmade in Italy.
Newark's Victorian Arcade had been preserved for future generations following a major refurbishment. Photo: Lee Armes. (61218014)
For the most part Lee worked alone, but by luck he met fellow tradesman Jason Edwards who expressed an interest in conservation and heritage, coming on board to help finish the Arcade.
Together they said: "It was a lot of work, but looking at where it was before and where it is now, you feel a huge amount of satisfaction.
"You're not just doing a job, you're preserving the town's history for the future."
In September, refurbishments on the old Arcade experienced a set back when a fire and subsequent flood forced the Arcade Framing Gallery to close. The gallery is now water tight and undergoing a shop refit with the hopes of opening in the new year.
Lee has previously been involved with heritage restoration when working on a former hotel in Castle Donington, an early 1900s house in The Park, Nottingham and an old cottage in Belper amongst other projects.
Both he and Jason hope take courses in the new year in order to become accredited contractors with the aim of working on bigger projects and with the National Trust in the future.
