Restoration work to repair flats within a 300-year-old Surrey property after the roof completely collapsed in a serious fire has been given the green light.
On Thursday, May 25, a huge blaze broke out on Windsor Street, Chertsey, causing the roof of Curfew House to completely collapse.
The building, which dated back to 1725, was largely destroyed, with only the front-facing brick facade and some timber frames left precariously in place. The flames gutted the top two flats above the shops below, and the shops beneath suffered extensive water damage.
A total of ten fire engines were called to the scene on the day of the incident. One aerial ladder platform was in use, alongside one water carrier and command unit with support from Surrey Police and South East Coast Ambulance Services.
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The communal entrance hallway to the flats remained largely untouched, and the first set of stairs remained in place. From there the first to second-floor staircase will need to be removed and rebuilt.
According to planning documents uploaded to the Runnymede Borough Council portal, seen by SurreyLive, extensive restoration work is now expected for the grade two listed property. Submitted by CHP Management Ltd, the works will include the reinstatement of the four flats and two shops.
The entire roof and coverings will be rebuilt, as well as structural repairs. According to the document, the second floor will also require reconstruction if some joists are salvageable.
According to planning documents, demolition will be on the cards, but the property will not be completely knocked down, considering it is grade two listed. Many integral parts, including the second-floor modern timber stud work, were largely destroyed and will need to be rebuilt.
Scaffolding is currently holding elements of the property up, such as the chimney stack. According to the planning documents, the restoration will be in close keeping with the property's character.
Handmade bricks to match the current structure will be used and pointed, with Keymer handmade tiles in antique colouring on the roof. New lead-lined valleys and a parapet gutter will be put in place, and where required, double-hung sash Georgian-style windows will be installed.
Runnymede Borough Council has issued the go-ahead for works to go ahead, with strict stipulations in place to ensure the character of the Georgian building. Conditions include showing evidence of details of glazing type, framing, glazing bars, cills, ironmongery, and finish colour which will need to be submitted to and approved in writing by the Local Planning Authority.
At the time of the fire, Abbey Tattoo boss Davey Sewell described how the roof of the building on Windsor Street "just went up" in flames. He opened the business in 2018 and couldn’t confirm when he would reopen the site.
“The roof just went up,” he said. “We still don't know how much damage has been caused. Hopefully, it is just water damage.
"The top two flats have definitely perished. They have not given me any details. The ceiling may have collapsed in, if that's all the damage that's a godsend. I can't imagine we’ll be working there for a while.”
Since the fire, Davey has moved to Black Heart in Epsom. Thankfully, no casualties were reported during the fire.
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