RICHARD Cussons is looking forward to revealing the restored face of a ‘grand old dame’ of Knutsford.

Richard, of KPS Management, is delighted to be in the final stage of the restoration of the 300-year-old grade two listed building at 68/70 King Street.

The long-running project started 30 years ago when the building was in an extremely poor state of repair.

A specialist wood treatment firm was brought in and structural engineers to stabilise the building, followed by refurbishment of the residential section, which now comprises six spacious luxury apartments in Solitaire House accessed from Silk Mill Street.

Richard said: “This stage involves repointing the whole of the front of the building to stabilise the 300-year-old brickwork, reroofing the slates and specialist chimney work, and refurbishing the windows with high quality treatments to keep the oak looking good for many years to come.

“Some finer details involve restoring the owners’ marker plaque, which reads ‘BJM 1701’, removing hooks and redundant attachments on the face of the building, which will give the front a clean look to restore it to its former glory.

“It’s been a long haul and a very expensive project, but I believe it will all be worth it when the building is fully restored and Knutsfordians can enjoy the restored face of this grand old dame of our High Street.

“It’s very important to be spending the time and money to bring old buildings back to life and in use, so I am very proud of having played a part in its ongoing history, and hope the restoration will make the building good for the next 300 years.”

The contract for re-roofing the east face of the building was awarded to Cooper Roofing.

Knutsford Guardian:

Ross Cooper from Cooper Roofing on the scaffold high above King Street

Ross Cooper from Cooper Roofing said: “We are delighted to be awarded the contract for this prestigious restoration project.”

Richard said: “Ross and his team did a highly professional job when we restored the west face of the building four years ago, and so was the logical choice for the east face.

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“This is a technical job that needs roofing contractors operating at the top of their game, and I believe Ross offers the skills and specialist knowledge to do justice to this important part of Knutsford’s heritage.”

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Peter Watson, main contractor, said: “It’s been a long time for a project such as this to come to fruition, but when the scaffold comes down the public will be able to appreciate all the work that has gone into the restoration.”

Zo & Co, the card and gift shop with Thorntons, and Terence Paul Hairdressing, are open for business during the restoration.