Project Whitby Abbey Visitor Centre
Whitby Abbey Visitor Centre is a Grade I listed building that sits within the grounds of Whitby Abbey, a Scheduled Ancient Monument. The site is located on the headland of the East Cliff overlooking the town of Whitby in North Yorkshire. The building was converted into a visitor centre, shop and museum in 2001-2 .The building is owned and managed by English Heritage.
Our project included the replacement of the roof covering damaged by Storm Arwen in 2019 by replacing the existing zinc standing seam roof cladding with new Terne-coated stainless steel standing seam roofing. Further repair and improvements to the building included repair and re-pointing of the stone elevations and pediment, new downpipes, photovoltaic solar panels to the roof and a new access hatch and ladder to allow safer access to the roof for future maintenance and inspection.
The project presents a holistic approach to repair, sensitive fabric improvement and alterations to support the ongoing viability of the site as a visitor centre, shop, and internationally important museum collection. The works positively contribute to securing and supporting the activity and economy of the historic site of Whitby Abbey as well as the surrounding seaside town of Whitby.
The completed works also improve the climate resilience of the building and surrounding site and has been achieved by adopting a holistic and conservation led approach to the historic building.
The PV system will generate approximately 50% of the current annual electricity demand with a payback period of 5 years. 100% of the new steel roof covering is recyclable and none of the changes are visible from the town or surrounding vicinity, any views from further afield will be so distant to render the alterations imperceptible. The client, English Heritage, aims to reduce their building carbon emissions by 20% across their buildings as set out in their ‘Climate Action Plan 2022-2025’ as part of their ‘Building Carbon Reduction Plan’.