Year-long restoration of 200-year-old care home near Peterborough nears completion
Building given new lease of life by mum and daughter owners
A year-long project to restore an historic building near Peterborough is nearing completion.
Sensitive exterior cleaning of the 200-year-old The Laurels care home in Market Deeping has just come to an end after a stonemason deployed cutting edge cleaning machinery to remove decades of dirt and bring the building’s façade back to life.
Stonemason Gary Cook used new equipment from restoration experts Stonehealth, using steam superheated to 150 degrees C, to spruce up the stonework as part of the restoration by the building’s owners, Nene Valley Care Homes.
The business is run by mum and daughter team Touran and Yasamine Watts who own three homes in the area – The Laurels, Florence House in Peterborough and Garden Lodge in nearby Glinton.
Once fully restored, The Laurels will be home to 19 residents, in the Grade 2 listed building.
Mr Cook, who is based in Stamford and has more than 20 years of experience in architectural masonry, said: “It’s been a pleasure to help Touran and Yasamine bring this wonderful old building back to life.
"They both have a vision for taking the property back to its original look and I am excited to help.
"The accumulation of dirt happens very gradually over many years so it’s fantastic to see what the building is supposed to look like in its best condition.
“Even without the work it’s a fine old house. Now, it looks magnificent and it’s somewhere that the owners and the residents are going to be proud of.
“Superheated steam cleaning is by far the best way to do it – it’s extremely gentle so avoids any deterioration of the stonework itself but it’s also highly effective at cleaning.
“It’s been great to be part of this project and I’m happy to help restore this important feature within the community of Market Deeping.”
Originally built in the early 1800s, The Laurels has changed ownership several times, even since World War II during which it was used for RAF quarters.
It was turned into a restaurant and hospitality venue in 1947 before a stable block was itself converted into a restaurant in the 1970s, when the main house again became a private residence.
The house has been a care home since 1986, before being taken over by Yasamine and Touran a year ago.
Yasamine said: “It’s been a challenging year making the necessary improvements.
"The walls and ceiling have crumbled in places and we’ve had to remove several trees which were risking the foundations and structure.
“I’m pleased to say that we’re getting there, though. Gary’s work has been a real landmark moment for us, and we know how much people in the town have noticed the improvements, too.
“So it’s lovely to be restoring it properly, as well as knowing that the improvements are making a real difference to our residents. We’d like to thank them for their patience and we’re all looking forward to the work being finished.”
Angela Southern, Business Development Director at Stonehealth, said: “We love to see our upgraded machine being used on projects which benefit the communities in which these buildings are located.