Bricklaying students help restore historic estate

The Telford College bricklaying students are working at Weston Park

Bricklaying students from a Shropshire college are helping to restore the walls of a historic estate.

The group, aged between 16 and 25, are working on the perimeter of a walled garden at Grade II listed Weston Park near Shifnal.

The college said a dozen students would be on site one day a week in the coming months, in a new partnership with the estate.

College director Robert Lees said it was a fantastic opportunity for them to learn the art of traditional brickwork.

West Park's walled garden was originally designed by famed 18th Century landscape architect Capability Brown.

Its walls are constructed with lime water, which enables them to move slightly.

The students, working under college tutors and head conservator Luke Unsworth, are raking out old mortar and repointing to restore the brickwork.

Mr Unsworth said his team was guiding them on using traditional materials.

"The students are helping us to preserve a piece of history, and have all done incredibly well so far," he said.

"We are working with a lime mortar, mixed with sand and lime – natural materials, to a conservation standard," he added.

The Weston Park Foundation looks after the estate, house and historic collections, sited on the Shropshire/Staffordshire border

Jackie Bradnick, a work placement co-ordinator at Telford College, said the partnership was a result of "many months of meetings and discussions".

“Most of a bricklaying curriculum focuses on new build construction, so this is an incredibly valuable opportunity to expose our students to a very different side of the job," she added.

Mr Lees, the college's director of automotive engineering and construction, said the work experience could help the students into work.

"There is a big gap in the market right now for skilled tradespeople with an understanding of heritage brickwork for upgrading or retrofitting buildings," he said.

"We’re incredibly grateful to the team at Weston Park for this opportunity."