Restoring Captain Cook Pub in Middlesbrough – a local interest exterior plasterwork project.

It's been a while since we've posted a blog here in Latest News, so it's time to update with an exciting project we completed recently, that has local historic interest and a link to a famous TV show from the 80's - Auf Weidersehn Pet.

The former Captain Cook Pub has been boarded up and empty for ten years, gradually decaying through years of neglect. The building was designed by local architect Robert Moore and was built in 1893 and is Jacobean in style with classical features.

Named by the Victorian Society as one of the country's most endangered buildings, Middlesbrough Mayor Andy Preston said that losing the pub was not an option and the council made a decision to fund the buildings restoration.

It's full of period features, internally and externally. Our part so far has been to restore a unique part of the exterior, pargeting with foliage-enriched strapwork set in to the shaped gables. Pargeting is the application of ornamental lime plasterwork or stucco relief work to a flat surface. Initially, patterns were stamped or scratched into the surface of wet plaster, but the most skilled pargeters came to create their own designs in high relief. Pargeting is on Heritage Crafts' Red List of Endangered Crafts. Read more about it here:-

https://heritagecrafts.org.uk/pargeting/

We worked with ex Ryedale Craftsman Ben Lockhart (now Lockhart Heritage Plastering) who created the moulds from the remains of the original pargeted panel designs. Ryedale Craftsmen were then able to cast and fit the new facade, no mean-feat as they were huge and heavy but are now in place, looking splendid, all ready for painting in the final exterior finish of this unique local building. See here for a finished photo soon and we will keep a close eye on this fascinating restoration project as it progresses.