Hooton Park WW1 Aircraft Hangar

Statutory Listing - Grade II*

2016-17 - Repairs to one of the three WW1 aircraft hangars

The works undertaken were to replace the roof covering and central valley to ensure the long-term stability of Hangar 1 (Building 18). Prior to the repairs being undertaken, the roof leaked extensively causing damage to the unique and historically significant Belfast trusses.

The emergency like-for-like repairs to the timber trusses was made possible, with grant aid from Historic England. These emergency works also included the replacement of the roof covering to the outer half of the south-west range, which by this time had completely failed. Historic England and Cheshire West & Chester Council supported this action, to halt the deterioration and prevent further loss of building fabric . This Listed Building Consent application sought formal approval for the emergency work carried out, plus the proposed replacement of the remaining asbestos and felt coverings to this hangar, with profiled metal sheets and a stainless steel lining to the gutter. It also included the replacement of the central valley gutter with a new stainless steel lining. The existing roof-lights were retained and repaired in-situ.

These proposals adhered to the principles and details developed during the re-roofing of Hangar 2 (Building 17), by the honest use of modern materials to avoid future misinterpretation. The Belfast trusses are the most significant element of the building fabric, and as such, this approach provided an economically viable roof covering that is sufficient to protect them into the future. The plastic rainwater goods were also replaced by cast iron fittings.

The specification for the replacement metal sheets were selected to reflect the appearance but not match exactly the profile and colour of the originals used on Hangar 2. A modern profile was chosen to avoid any confusion about the precedence, as traditional corrugated metal could imply that the replacements were following an original detail. The powder coating colour selected was Pigeon Grey, a light grey tone, to reduce the risk from future thermal issues and therefore provide a more robust strategy to better conserve the original fabric.