There are plans to repair parts of the outside of the Grade I listed Harris.
Proposals in a recent Listed Building Consent application submitted to Preston City Council include works to the stone elevations and facade details, windows, external doors and roof.
The external fabric repairs would include cleaning the facade through a ‘light touch’, with the approach being stepped up if the first cleaning is ineffective.
The proposed works to the windows include repair and redecoration.
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There would be new brush seals fitted to improve the thermal performance of the windows, and these proposed plans would also be implemented for the doors.
The roof repairs would see 100 per cent replacement of the asphalt covering to the lower main roof following deterioration.
The central timber roof lantern would be replaced with a new structural aluminium unit with double glazing that is UV resistant.
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New air handling units are proposed for the main lower roof to upgrade the environmental conditions for all galleries.
The gates to the Harris and Jacson Street entrances would be temporarily removed to be refurbished and reinstalled in their original locations, with an additional hinge proposed to each edge.
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The Re-imagining The Harris heritage statement reveals that the additional hinge is needed to mitigate further damage to the gates.
It states: “The gates were originally installed with a wheel to the base that ran on a track to the external ground floor level. The ground level has subsequently changed over time and is now lower, so the wheels no longer rest on the ground
“This has put additional pressure on the existing three hinges, accelerating deterioration and deformation to the gates. The introduction of the matching fourth hinge will take the loadings originally intended to be taken by the base wheel.”
You can see the full proposals on the Preston City Council website.
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