Historic house wins award

Aug 13 2008 By David Simister

AN ACCLAIMED historic house in Ruthin has continued its winning streak this month by winning a prestigious prize from some of the country’s top surveyors.

Nantclwyd y Dre, on Castle Street, scooped the gong for Best Building Conservation Project in Wales, in a contest hosted by building gurus the Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors (RICS).

"There was a wish to preserve the history of the building and present it in a proper way. It doesn’t happen very often but that was the driver right from the start" said Denbighshire County Council’s David Fletcher, Construction Project Manager.

The 15th century timber-framed house, believed to be the oldest of its kind in Wales, won another award earlier this year when it earned the Green Apple Built Environment Award from the Green Organisation in April for enhancements to the building’s environment and architectural heritage.

Surveyors from the RICS were impressed by the quality of the restoration of the Ruthin attraction, noting it was "an exceptional project and an outstanding example of unobtrusive intervention" in their appraisals of the site.

Geoff Broster, from specialist conservation architects Donald Insall Associates who were involved with the project, says that the restoration was one many people thought would never happen.

"We thrive on projects like this that would frighten a lot of people off and some people believed Nantclwyd House was too far gone to restore" he said.

"It was in an almost derelict state and we’ve had to repair all the defective timber frame, replace wattle and daub, restore floors and panelling."

The award follows over four years of restoration work by the county council. Nantclwyd y Dre is now open to visitors on Fridays and weekends. Tickets cost £3.60 per adult, and £1.80 per child.