For those curious to learn more about the reality of taking on a listed building challenge look no further than the ‘Old Project House’ by The Society for the Protection of Ancient Buildings (SPAB). With the aim to inspire and educate the SPAB bought the Grade II* listed St. Andrew’s (former) chapel in October 2018 and committed itself to a five year time frame to turn the dilapidated building around.

As part of the SPAB repair course Claire recently attended, delegates visited both St. Andrew’s Chapel and the nearby Grade I listed Hospitium (guest house) of the scheduled monument Boxley Abbey – a Cistercian abbey from the mid 12th century. It was striking to observe first hand how the single simple form of the original chapel (possibly late 1480’s) had expanded and evolved since the abbey’s dissolution in 1538, and the range of building materials used at St. Andrew’s – which includes stone, brick, timber framing.

Over the course of the project volunteer groups can partake in ‘working parties’ to help restore the building and learn traditional building skills. Learn how to volunteer here.

You can follow the progress on St. Andrew’s  here where you’ll also find useful resources. To date the advice ‘chapters’ cover ‘finding a project house’ and ‘getting started’ to help prospective purchasers find the right building for them. If you find your dream listed ‘project house’ do get in touch to discuss how Heritage Revival can help ease the journey.