Case Study:

Restoration of Abney Park Chapel, North & South Lodges and Construction of new Café & Community Workshop

Architect: Kaner Olette
Client: Quinn London
End Use: Event spaces in the Chapel and new visitor's café.

The restoration of the chapel is part of the regeneration of Abney Park by Hackney Council.

The scheme focuses on the works needed for Abney Park to become a self-sufficient, vibrant and engaging place that can continue improving far into the future and a place that celebrates its delicate balance of built and natural heritage.

The Grade II listed chapel is at the heart of Abney Park. Built by William Hosking, it is the oldest surviving non-denominational chapel in Europe. The park and mortuary chapel are both listed on the Historic England ‘Heritage at Risk’ register.

A V V Solutions have undertaken in situ stone repairs utilising historic techniques to rebuild the intricate details whilst maintaining the individuality that would have been seen in the original build.

Other works we have also completed within the chapel are:
Installation of new stone door surrounds, new rose window mullions.
Pinning of the existing ceiling renders.
Masonry cleaning and low-level anti-graffiti coating.
Brick repairs and replacement, lime mortar repointing.
New internal lime render.
Structural alterations including crack stitching, forming two new door openings, taking down and rebuilding parapets.
Installing the new internal stone paving.

“AVV Solutions were appointed as the Brickwork Contractor on for a project consisting of extension, alteration, and refurbishment of the existing Inner Temple Treasury Building. Most notably AVV are very helpful and commercially very competitive when taking on additional work. AVV’s Works began in February 2020 and they continued to work though the Covid-19 Pandemic while working to an extremely high standard and adhering to government guidance. Their approach to health and safety aligns with what Sir Robert McAlpine expects from a supply chain partner. They take physical and mental health/wellbeing of the workforce very seriously”

Sir Robert McAlpine

Read More Testimonials

“Construction Manager Magazine - Nov 2020 article “The original cornicing was moulded on to the ceiling and these sections were removed and later reinstated by our restoration specialist – AVV Solutions – who had to make good every individual cornice. A lot of the plaster on the walls had de-bonded – we used a ‘knock test’ to check this – and in these cases the plaster was removed under semi-controlled conditions because of the asbestos risk. This was replaced with lime plaster. The drawback here is the time it takes to dry, probably a week for two coats. Logistics was key to managing this work. We created a programme where eBrit would hack off the plaster, then AVV would follow through to replace it, moving from room to room. It gave continuity to the work.” Heritage Plastering - AVV Solutions Ltd”

Chris Linfoot - Willmott Dixon Interiors