Calls for permission to replace a decayed spiral staircase preventing access to the top of Pembrokeshire’s historic Hean Castle mansion have been submitted.
In a listed building application submitted to Pembrokeshire Coast National Park, The Trustees of T O Lewis Trust, through agent Acanthus Holden Architects, seeks permission for the removal of a decayed timber spiral staircase and replacement in aluminium, along with pointing and masonry repairs to a flue turret, stairs turret and s bay at the Grade-II-listed Hean Castle, near Saundersfoot.
A supporting statement accompanying the application says the works planned will reinstate the spiral stairs access to the main castle tower, the scheme “aimed at reducing moisture ingress through the thin, walled turrets a replacing a rotten timber spiral staircase 13m tall”.
It says the upper third of the wooden treads in the “existing and very possibly the original spiral staircase” are “now badly decayed where they slot into the equally rotten stringers at this level, to the point that safe access to the turret top is no longer safe”.
It adds: “The replacement of the stairs in timber is a difficult and a very costly exercise with all fabrication and erection carried out likely to have been carried out originally on site. Accessing the turret at high level on the outside is also very difficult and only limited repointing will be possible. Ongoing water ingress into the turret would likely lead to further rotting of the replacement timber stairs in the near future. Two options have been considered for the replacement of the stairs in metal: Aluminium and Galvanised steel, both with similar cost implications. Aluminium is favoured and an acceptable quote has been received for the supply of a sectional staircase with ‘made to measure’ hard wood timber treads bolted to the Newell brackets. The made-to-measure treads will allow us a degree of flexibility with regard to any variance in the diameter of the ‘tube’.”
It says the proposed works will secure long-term sustainability, improve accessibility, and address urgent fabric defects.
The application will be considered by park planners at a later date.
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