NEW BUILD CASE STUDIES Tortworth Court Hotel Roofing Contractor (and recipient of Award): Bicester Roofing Company Limited Architect: John Hallam Partnership Developer: Four Pillars Hotel Group Clay roof tile manufacturer: Dreadnought Tiles Clay Tiles Used: Dreadnought Blue Brindle tiles and 128,000 Dreadnought Blue Brindle Club tiles

The Tortworth Court Hotel project at Wotton-under-Edge, Gloucestershire was in fact a combination of Refurbishment and New Build work and could well have been judged under either of the relevant categories in the Clay Roofing Awards. However, the judges considered the Tortworth Court Hotel for the New Build Award category partly because of its success in having so well disguised the fact that the new buildings were actually new!

This splendid Victorian mansion, which was erected in the Tudor style of architecture between 1848 and 1853, had reached a stage where it required some restoration and new build work to ensure that it continued to be a significant landmark in the Gloucestershire region. The project brief was immense and included a huge scale tile replication of different colours, shapes and sizes, and the re-use of existing roof tiles where possible on the existing buildings. There were several major challenges to this project. These included finding a tile to match the existing ones on the main roof of the old house, and to identify a tile that would blend sympathetically with the existing tiles for the new build work that was to be constructed in the grounds and adjacent to the existing buildings.

With the approval of the local conservation officer and planners, 150,000 Dreadnought Blue Brindle tiles and 128,000 Dreadnought Blue Brindle Club tiles were used on Tortworth Court Hotel together with appropriate fittings, including Angle Ridge, valleys, hips and angles. On completion, in excess of 7,000m² of new and existing tiling had been carried out.

The judges were particularly impressed by the attention to detail in the use of fittings, including angle ridge, valleys, hips and angles, notably in the construction of small dormer roofs and gables.

The fitting and fixing were of a very high standard of craftsmanship and the aesthetic appeal of the roof was impressive, creating a Gothic yet romantic and sophisticated châteaux design. Commenting on the roofing work carried out at the hotel, the Chairman of the CRTC Roofing Awards judging panel, Kevin Farrell, said: "At first glance a visitor to the building could be forgiven for assuming that the entire complex was of the same antiquity - the new build roofing blends in perfectly with that of the historic buildings of the original mansion."