Situated in the beautiful Wiltshire village of Steeple Ashton, The Sanctuary is one of the oldest properties, dating back to the 14th Century. Of substantial architectural merit, as well as historical significance, it is a Grade 2* listed property.
The north wing of the Sanctuary was formerly a cruck-framed building consisting of 3 bays, although today only one complete cruck truss remains, and the remnants of another. There is a later arch-braced truss with significantly raised collar, (so much so that the truss had spread to a serious extent, and needed the addition of a steel tie). A fine jettied cross-wing of two stories was added to the house c. 1500, utilising large quantities of particularly characterful elm.
The Sanctuary boasts some really fine craftsmanship including stained glass glazed screens, and decorative mouldings, especially around the windows. Although our work sadly concentrated on seriously decayed and damaged timber, it was nevertheless gratifying to be able to save as much of the fabric of the building as possible. Various techniques utilising resin repairs, non invasive steelwork, and using the original material to face sound new pieces, as well as complete patches all played a part on this project. It was nice to know that the skills of our craftsmen will sit seamlessly alongside those of the original craftsmen for the next 500 years!
