The restoration project led by UK conservation contractor, DBR (London) Limited, is due for completion next year
DBR, a leading UK conservation construction company responsible for the restoration of some of the country’s most famous historic sites, has been working for over a year to revive one of the capital’s most iconic destinations.
Founded in 1875, Liberty London has been selling haberdashery, high-end fashion and other lifestyle products for almost a century-and-a-half. This year, the renowned Grade II* listed department store sought comprehensive external works to ensure its Tudor Revival architecture continued to thrive in the 21st century, while preserving the building’s unique heritage.
DBR, which has worked on major conservation projects such as the Palace of Westminster, Westminster Abbey, Royal Albert Hall and the Royal Pavilion, Brighton, was tasked with a wide range of conservation works at Liberty. This included: masonry, timber, roof, window and structural repairs, paint stripping and a new lighting scheme to enhance the façade.
Carnaby Street side of Liberty London
The initial plan was to complete the refurbishment work in phases, minimising disruption to shoppers and back-of-house activities. While two lockdowns have allowed restoration activity to continue without interruption, a concertinaed approach was required to allow business to run as usual in between. The refurbishment of the Kingly, Carnaby and Little Marlborough façades are set to be completed early this year, with the second phase of the project, the main Great Marlborough façade, completing in December of this year.
Mends in high places
The project is currently in phase two, which includes the site-set, designed scaffold installation, paint stripping, façade repairs, lead works, and windows and frame restoration on the Carnaby, Kingly and Little Marlborough façades. While these may sound like standard repairs, when it comes to heritage buildings they are far from simple.
Complex conservation techniques were required to repair the external walls and render panels, timberwork, stonework, glazed bricks and all of the windows. For example, one main challenge was the development of a paint-stripping method that could be used on timber and render.
Further, Liberty London has various historic features throughout the store that need to be carefully considered during the renovation process, including a series of miniature glass paintings in the windows, which sit amongst the wood panelling.
Miniature glass paintings in Liberty London windows
After the paint stripping had been carried out, a highlight was the reveal of the original, exposed timber. In 1924, the store as we know it today was constructed from the timbers of two ships—HMS Impregnable (formerly HMS Howe) and HMS Hindustan—while the original, 19th-century premises were being renovated. This construction took place as part of founder, Arthur Lasenby Liberty’s vision of having a docked ship in the middle of London’s shopping streets. Other unique historic features, such as the Liberty Clock, the gong of which can be heard on a quiet day throughout Oxford Street, and the hidden stone gargoyle keeping a watchful eye over shoppers, have also kept things interesting for the DBR team during the renovation process.
A Liberty London gargoyle
Lastly, the company has implemented a mix of innovative technology and traditional methods to deliver the best possible results, such as Zutec Asset digital tracking, which is used to monitor the restoration process of the leaded and timber windows. DBR’s in-house design team is also responsible for Contractor Design Portion elements of the project including elements of the M&E installation and atrium lantern design.
For more information about DBR and its projects, visit: https://www.dbrlimited.com.