Ackroyd Construction
Ackroyd Construction, based in Basford Nottingham, has been restoring historic buildings since 1991. Starting as an electrical engineering subcontractor, working on listed buildings, Mick Ackroyd’s personal interest in historic buildings meant the company soon began restoration projects as the main contractor, restoring barns, period properties and even a Victorian glasshouse.
“I’ve been working with Longbottom’s for over 20 years. Most architects recommend them, plus English Heritage and the National Trust. One of the last traditional cast iron foundries in the UK, they produce high quality castings with an efficient service.
I use Longbottom’s for all my restoration projects. I recently needed to replace some early Victorian guttering for a circular roof (Malvern House, Nottingham). They were able to recast using original patterns and drawings from the 1860s.
The Longbottom’s team is fantastic; friendly, knowledgeable, a breath of fresh air actually.”
Mick Ackroyd
Managing Director
Ackroyd Construction
JG Restorations
JG Restorations is a heritage build and restoration specialist based in Wiltshire. A builder by trade, Michael Bartoletti has fifteen years’ experience in heritage conservation with clients across London and the home counties. Restoration projects include churches and ecclesiastical stonework conservation and the repair of many listed and historic buildings. To maintain the character and special qualities of listed buildings they use traditional materials and methods, combining with modern technical advances only when appropriate.
“I’ve been working with Longbottom’s for many years. Most architects recommend them for restoration projects and nobody else has the expertise or offers the quality of product. The team are brilliant, extremely helpful and very knowledgeable. They hold many original moulds and patterns and can also easily replicate a mould when needed. We recently renovated a church at Clements Meadow in Wiltshire; it had ornate gutters that had rotted. I sent Longbottom’s a section and they searched their archive mould collection. As there was no match, they replicated a mould, so the building was restored to its original specification, even down to the guttering. This means the history of those designs are not lost and preserved for future generations to enjoy.”
Michael Bartoletti
JG Restorations
EQUANS
The Scartho Cemetery Chapels are a pair of Grade II listed buildings located within Grimsby Cemetery. In 2022, a sympathetic scheme of restoration and conservation restored the buildings to serviceable use, whilst reflecting their beautiful Victorian heritage. The project was managed by Gavin Duffy, Senior Architectural Technologist at Equans.
“We approached J&JW Longbottom to determine whether the remaining damaged and partial sections of rainwater goods could be replicated to match the original size, profile and fitting arrangement as the original Macfarlane rainwater hardware,” said Gavin.
“Fortunately, the answer was yes, and it’s fair to say that the results exceeded all our expectations. The rainwater goods were faithfully and accurately replicated in every aspect, right down to intricate details such as the holderbat (bracket) profiles. The re-instatement of the rainwater goods has not only significantly improved the lifespan of the chapels, but also pays tribute to the skill and craftmanship of foundry workers past and present.”
Gavin Duffy,
Senior Architectural Technologist, Equans.
Find out more about the project here https://longbottomfoundry.co.uk/case_study/scartho-cemetery-chapels/