Stonemason builds book with £1.85 million work

A stonework contractor has cemented its market standing with a £1.85 million city regeneration project.

Classic Masonry has supported the construction of a 9000-staff HM Revenue & Customs base in Newcastle.

The firm retained a 120-metre Art Deco façade and dome of the Grade II-listed Carliol House, which have been incorporated into a 460,000sq ft office complex.

Sitting within the Pilgrim’s Quarter regeneration scheme, officials say the multi-storey base will operate as the largest HM Revenue & Customs regional hub in the UK.

North Shields-based Classic Masonry also designed, supplied and installed precast concrete, cladding and columns to new-build areas, and oversaw cladding work and stone restoration.

Appointed by contractor Bowmer+Kirkland, the firm worked with Ryder Architecture and Newcastle City Council’s conservation team on the project. 

Mike Moody, Classic Masonry managing director, said: “This was a hugely significant project for Newcastle.

“It is wonderful to see a high-quality, modern, working environment retain its historic features.”

Paul Anderson, Bowmer+Kirkland project director, added: “By employing Classic Masonry, we were able to bring unrivalled experience, technical knowledge and trusted relationships to the project.

“The old façade has been brought back to life and now merges seamlessly with the new building.”

The work builds on recent contracts that have seen Classic Masonry carry out church projects and restore stone façades at Cosin’s Almshouses and the Pemberton Building at Durham’s Palace Green.

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