Page 11 - Under The Roof Avonside Group staff newsletter - June 2019

UNDER THE ROOF

BRACKNELL ROOFING PROJECTS

Bracknell Roofing Transform Copsewood

Grange & Lodge in Coventry

THE EXQUISITE COPSEWOOD GRANGE MANOR
HOUSE DATES BACK TO 1872 AND WAS TO BE
TRANSFORMED INTO 17 LUXURY APARTMENTS FOR
MORRIS HOMES. AFTER THE ROOFING SUB-
CONTRACTOR THAT INITIALLY WON THE SLATING
AND ANCILLARIES WORK FOR THIS
TRANSFORMATION REALISED THAT THE PROJECT
WAS BEYOND THE SKILLS THEY COULD PROVIDE,
MORRIS HOMES TURNED TO BRACKNELL ROOFING.
—
Morris Homes also tasked Bracknell Roofing with
rejuvenating the 19th-century revivalist Victorian-
Gothic-style Copsewood Lodge, a locally listed building
— whilst preserving the roof’s 1870s original look.
A COLOURFUL PAST
Copsewood Grange is situated at the heart of a
200-acre estate in Coventry. There have been many
owners of the estate over the years, including the
General Electric Company, with several changes in the
configuration of the land. Developments included
factory units and a golf course. Part of the site also
featured in the film The Italian Job, starring Michael
Caine!
When the factories closed, many buildings on the
estate fell into disrepair, most notably the previously
handsome Copsewood Grange. Unfortunately, it also
suffered serious vandalism, culminating in being set on
fire. Sadly, vandalism also contributed to Copsewood
Lodge falling into disrepair, landing it on the ‘at risk’ list
at SAVE Britain’s Heritage.
The city council would not entertain the idea of
demolishing the Lodge but offered planning
permission for revitalising the property as a high-
specification single dwelling of four bedrooms. A
campaign was soon set up to save the Grange and the
other historic buildings. Eventually, in 2015,
housebuilder Morris Homes stepped in to buy the
Grange and its nearby Lodge, vowing to preserve the
intrinsic value of these historic buildings.
RISING TO THE CHALLENGE
The project would be a total rebuild to high
specification throughout, requiring considerable
expertise. Copsewood Grange had been constructed in
red brick with a blue-slated roof. Ornate, it
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