Historic building restoration specialist dies

Norman Routledge had dreamt of preserving the mansion at Ashton Court

A man who played a key role in preserving some of a city's most historic buildings has passed away at the age of 68.

Norman Routledge founded Bristol Historic Buildings Trust (BHBT) and was responsible for the restoration of buildings Kings Weston House, the Lamplighters pub in Shirehampton and The Mount Without.

In 2020, Routledge told BBC Radio Bristol that his long-term ambition was to secure the future of the Grade I listed mansion at Ashton Court through BHBT, something the council voted to do in October.

"Norman was a remarkable man whose belief in people and in Bristol never wavered," said Simon Cook, chair of trustees at BHBT.

"His support helped lay the foundations for what we hope will become one of the city's great heritage projects," he said.

"We will miss him deeply, and we will carry his spirit forward in the work ahead."

The Mount Without has become a popular wedding and events venue

Preserving heritage

Mr Routledge started his career as an engineer at Rolls Royce before going on to own Cannon Fire & Security.

He began restoration work in 2007 and went on to take over the lease of the 18th Century Kings Weston House, where he undertook extensive renovations before reopening it after a short period of closure.

Under BHBT, he later went on to reopen the historic Lamplighters pub and transformed a 200-year-old church on St Michael's Hill that had been vacant since 1999 and gutted by fire in 2016 into a popular events space while still retaining many of the building's original features.

The trust has vowed to continue the work on Ashton Court with "the same commitment and momentum" and say that they "will honour [his] legacy by ensuring this project remains rooted in the principles he cared so passionately about".