Background
Client: The National Trust
Contractor: Arthur Wood & Sons
Tattershall Castle, built c1440, is an important example of an early brick building. Hockley & Dawson has provided the structural engineering advice and design for the repair and conservation of the castle Keep and Bridges.
Work on the Bridges won the Wood Award Conservation Section in 2003.
Project Overview
Tattershall Castle, built circa 1440 by Ralph, Lord Cromwell, is one of England’s finest and earliest surviving examples of a brick-built medieval structure. A Scheduled Ancient Monument and Grade I listed building, it holds exceptional historic significance both architecturally and politically, standing as a rare testament to 15th-century ambition, status, and innovation.
Hockley & Dawson were engaged to provide structural engineering services for two critical components of the site: the stabilization of the Curzon Building and the reconstruction of the timber Moat Bridge, the latter earning the prestigious Wood Award in the Conservation category.
For the Curzon Building, we undertook careful analysis and design to address long-standing settlement and movement. Through targeted underpinning and reinforcement works, we stabilized the structure while respecting its historic fabric and form. Our approach combined modern structural analysis with minimal intervention principles, preserving the building’s character and long-term integrity.
The Moat Bridge, a key access route to the castle grounds, was entirely reconstructed in timber. We developed a discreet timber structural reinforcement solution that was both robust and sympathetic to the original design, preserving the visual language and material tradition of the historic bridge. High-quality timber and bespoke joinery were used throughout, with detailing focused on durability, authenticity, and compatibility with the castle’s setting.
This project exemplifies our mission: to honour the craftsmanship of the past while engineering sustainable, sensitive solutions that preserve the cultural and structural value of historic sites.
