Macdonald Stewart Canadian Pavilion - Veranda Refurbishment and Restoration, Bisley Camp, Surrey
Gifford Grant has successfully completed the
refurbishment and redecoration of the veranda at the Macdonald Stewart Pavilion, Bisley Camp, Surrey. The grade II listed property, built in 1897, provides a headquarters for the Dominion of Canada Rifle Association teams for the National Rifle Association championships held at
Bisley Camp every July.
(click the images to view full size)
The two storey structure was built using Canadian cedar, maple and pine, on a brick plinth, clad in red cedar shingles, surrounded at the front and sides by a wide veranda supported on wooden posts.
On initial surveys, it could clearly be seen that the base of several of these posts had rotted and required an ingenious piece of thought, engineering and steelwork to create a solution (which had to be cleared with English Heritage) to avoid total replacement of the entire length of each of the rotten posts.
On further investigation and removal of the decorative skirting (only added in the last 20-30 years!), it was discovered that the rot had set in much further than previously thought... With amazing carpentry skills and subsequent decoration, the replacement posts, either part or whole, have blended in with the colonial look of the building.
With time pressures on to have completed the contract prior to the Canadian Forces team’s arrival mid July, the weather conditions were against Gifford Grant with the wettest June since records began in 1910, and the period from April to June was the wettest recorded for the UK.
Around half of the joists under the decking were also replaced – the crawl space under the veranda was about the only dry place to be for most of the job!
Finally, the deck boards have been cleaned, restored and oiled to leave a stunning finish.