A grand old staircase

Some staircases are grander than others but this one is particularly impressive. Even more so that it is part of the buildings of an independent co-educational Prep school in Woking. This Grade II* listed building was originally a house dating back to the early eighteenth century and was designed by James Zouch.

This staircase with twisted balusters has wall paintings attributed to Verrio which are now largely obscured by varnish. However, it’s what lies underneath that we have recently reviewed.

We have been monitoring this staircase since 2016 and have just completed the Phase One works in the summer to divert ground water away from the basement. This water ingress has created the perfect environment for decay to the timber staircase structure. With the building now drying out we can look to address the staircase timbers.

Multiple repairs, inserts, partnering timbers, metal brackets have been added over time but our survey has uncovered the principle supports have been lost and temporary supports are needed to maintain the access.

Our timber survey with Huw Lloyd and 3D scanning with James Brennan revealed the supporting structure of the staircase to be in very poor condition. The only meaningful repair to this structure is by dismantling it, and reassembly using the existing balustrading, panelling and exposed timber after the support structure has been completely replaced.