Work begins to restore Oldway to former glory

Oldway Mansion has certainly not been forgotten over the summer, as behind-the-scenes work has been ramping up in preparation for Phase One of a grand restoration project. 

While Torbay Council has already assembled a project team to deliver Phase One, experts have been combing the building for information in advance of its delivery. 

The Grade II* Listed building is over 150 years old and was the private residence of Isaac Singer and was once the jewel in the crown of the Bay. 

Until 2013, the mansion was used as council offices and for civil marriage ceremonies but since then it has been closed to the public and fallen into a state of disrepair. The building was added to Historic England's 'Heritage at Risk' Register in 2023. 

However, with a multi-million pound masterplan for its restoration published and funding secured for the initial phase, the process of saving this iconic building is truly underway. 

Phase 1 of the Oldway Mansion restoration project is being funded by £1 million committed by Torbay Council, and £8 million of government funding which was announced in May.

“Some people may think it's all gone quiet here over the summer - It hasn't,” said Cllr Chris Lewis (Cons), Deputy Leader of Torbay Council and Cabinet Member for Place Development and Economic Growth.

“We've been working really hard on Oldway Mansion. We're getting a team together, very many of them with heritage backgrounds, to get into the building to see what needs to be done for Phase One.”

Work that has been carried out so far includes specialist survey and risk assessment work, including the completion of a dry rot survey, appointing a Conservation Architect who is preparing a listed building application, building up a programme of urgent repair work, carrying out emergency roof repairs and undertaking 3D survey work.

The 3D survey work is an important part of the project, as the information gathered will build a 3D model of the building, giving us a permanent record of the building as it stands today. The 3D model will serve as a crucial tool in the restoration process, providing detailed information that allows the design team to provide the necessary specifications and drawn information, to allow the relevant applications to be made, and the physical works to follow on. It will also enable architects to visualise and respond to the building's needs more accurately.

One exciting job was to ‘crack open’ a safe, which was found in the mansion but had no way of being opened. Sadly, the safe didn’t contain the diamonds and gold needed to fund the project as hoped but an interesting and unexpected element of the restoration project, nonetheless.

Between September and the end of the year, further preparation work is planned, with scaffolding being set outside the ball room to enable a roof repair and around the West Tower of the Banqueting Hall so detailed investigation works can take place, to fully assess the building.

Regular visitors to the grounds may also notice an Ecologist undertaking an ecology survey. Work started this week, with a further visit planned for next month.

It is anticipated that in early 2025, scaffolding will start to be erected to areas of the main Mansion in preparation for roof repair work to begin. Scaffolding will be in place, to the external walls of the building, and will be put in place over a few months. There are approximately 13 different types of roofs to the main Mansion, meaning that one section at a time will be carefully repaired. Roof repair work is expected to be completed by the end of 2027. 

Cllr Chris Lewis said; “This work is a major first step in restoring Oldway Mansion. Fully understanding and stabilising the building is necessary to prevent any further deterioration. This work will allow the project team to ensure that our restoration efforts are both effective and respectful of Oldway’s heritage.

“There is still a long way to go before the public will once again be able to fully enjoy the building, but we hope this milestone gives confidence to the community that the restoration project is moving forward.”

Throughout the process, the grounds of Oldway remain open for visitors.

Cllr Lewis added: “It's a really exciting time for Oldway and we're going to take the community with us. We're going to engage with the community at every stage, to make sure that they know where we are, where we're going forward and what the future for Oldway Mansion is.”