Scale of Oldway roof repairs revealed

The massive scale of repairs required to restore Paignton’s historic Oldway Mansion is revealed in a new planning application.

Torbay Council is applying to itself for permission to start work on repairs to the roof of the Victorian mansion which was once home to the American sewing machine magnate Isaac Singer.
The building has been empty since the council closed its offices there in 2013, and repairs to the structure will cost millions. The mansion is currently shrouded in scaffolding as long-term work to restore it continues.
The council is applying to make internal alterations to support the existing gym roof, and external alterations to support the existing lantern roof. They are two of the areas of most concern in the whole project.
The work involves removing an internal staircase, mezzanine and partitions, all of which are later additions and not part of the historic fabric of the mansion.
They need to be moved so decaying parts of the original building can be properly supported.
In a heritage impact assessment, architects Poynton Bradbury say the gym roof is suffering from structural failure and requires intervention to stabilise it. The lantern roof supports the decorative ceiling to the historic Ambassador’s Staircase and is in need of protection and strengthening.
The gym was reputedly the private gym of Isaac’s son Paris Singer, who remodelled the building and was famed for his relationship with renowned dancer Isadora Duncan. It later became a drawing office when the mansion was used by the council.
The architects’ report, following a survey of the site, goes on: “There are significant areas of water ingress and damaged roofing timbers throughout. Structural elements such as rafters and joists throughout were either saturated, damp, displaying differing stages of wet rot or were water stained.
“The majority of the structure was displaying significant deterioration due to the effects of water ingress.
“The lantern roof is considered to be of exceptional significance as it represents part of Paris Singer’s remodelling centrepiece.”
The report concludes that while some repairs on Oldway are based on minimal intervention and like-for-like replacements, the latest works on the roof are more significant in that they alter the external appearance of the lantern roof and the internal arrangement of the gym roof.
It says: “Managing these changes is based on balancing the aesthetic value of the building internally as well as externally and striking a balance that helps to preserve its character internally and externally, with a methodology which ensures works can be reversible and sympathetic to the existing building’s character.”