Chantry house repaired in time for Emma

Cross builders had their skates on to rebuild a period property in the desirable village in Chilham.

Chilham is a picture postcard village which has medieval timber - framed houses which surround the lovely village square set between the historic Jacobean Chilham Castle and St. Mary's Church, Kent.

Cross builders received an important call to rebuild a state of disrepair, a car had driven into the front of Chantry house and knocked down a large quantity of the period building, making the house uninhabitable for the owners. Cross builders had to strike a balance between the pressure of the film crew and the respect for the buildings heritage, they would have to go to great lengths to recreate the period look in time for the filming of Emma, a period drama being filmed in the square of Chilham in April. Chantry house would also be one of the houses being used for the filming of this famous period drama, due to be shown on television in August 2009.

Cross builders were facing a challenge to complete the works before the filming had to start, this project really pulled the building team together but was a exciting challenge that Manager Jay Cross would cherish forever.

When work started they were worried that the structural damage was so bad that the house could collapse, this was a worrying matter for Mr Cross. So they worked fast to rebuild the 14th century house back to original features using Kent stock bricks, the conservation officer suggested these bricks because they were representational to the originals. Traditional lime mortar was used to keep to original features and also a requirements of the local authority when rebuilding a period building you have to use lime mortar, modern cements can cause damage to ancient materials.

Jay Cross said "the real issue was dealing with the pressure with repairing the house so that the film production schedule wouldn't be delayed and yet on the other hand we had to meet the really stringent criteria set by the conservation department, and also keeping the film crew happy and the owners informed of the repairs, so there were many kinds of criteria to meet to make sure everyone was happy."


The art director commented on the colour of the lime mortar saying it complemented the film set and the period look they were trying to achieve.

Cross builders specialises in Victorian and older buildings, with 20 years experience in structural repairs using stainless steel and traditional techniques and conservation approved materials such as lime and horse hair to create an authentic period finish.

Cross builders has been featured in homes and gardens magazines following the restoration of a village church conversion. Cross builders work close with conservation authority officers and period architects such as Roger Joyce Associates when carrying out repairs and alterations to period buildings.

Cross builders have converted 13th century buildings to provide additional bedrooms for family space, they have also repaired earthquake damaged churches and have replaced historic joinery in the west wing of woodlands manor after dry rot attacked the floors and joists. Cross builders have the perfect history for repairing a historic building and also have a buy with confidence certificate.

Contact Mr Jay Cross
www.cross-builders.co.uk
Tel. 01303 211805 / 0796 6496911

Emma an 1891 period production will be filmed in the picturesque Chilham, nr Canterbury in Kent. A four part serialisation of Jane Austin's Emma.

Sonia Cufley