Nestled in the heart of the picturesque Burton Village is Burton Manor, a Grade II listed building that was originally constructed in 1805. In 1904, it was remodelled for Henry Neville Gladstone, the son of prime minister William Gladstone, and became the family home before taking world heritage status in 1974.
 
The building became disused in 2011 and fell into a state of ruin before being purchased by a local developer in 2018, with planning permission granted for the building to become the national headquarters for Russell Taylor Holdings Ltd – a rapidly expanding technical and engineering recruitment firm.
 
Although some of the interior and exterior restorative painting work had been done prior to employees moving into the building, it was the job of Curtis Painting Group Ltd’s 10-strong workforce to carry out the decoration work with the minimum of disruption to the recruitment company’s day-to-day operations. Working within English Heritage principles and in close consultation with Burton Village residents, the team turned to PPG coatings to give the building a new lease of life.
 
The restoration effort
“The interior of Burton Manor contains many outstanding original features,” explains Gary Owen, Managing Director of Curtis Painting Group Ltd. “This includes mouldings, stained glass windows, ornate plasterwork and fireplaces, with the building also boasting a grand entrance, ornate staircases, an orangery, billiards room, library, music room and an internal courtyard. To save the Grade II listed building from ruin meant a huge restoration effort from everyone involved.”
 
After treating a dry rot infestation, the team at Curtis Painting Group Ltd used 3,000 litres of Johnstone’s Trade Acrylic Durable Matt – a premium quality emulsion designed to provide a tough, durable finish on interior walls and ceilings. With a Class 1 Scrub rating, the paint is ideal for high traffic areas like Burton Manor, where around 50 members of staff use the offices each day and regular cleaning is required.
 
The team also used 2,000 litres of Johnstone’s Trade Jonmat Premium Contract Matt and 1,000 litres of Johnstone’s Trade Covaplus Vinyl Matt to ensure excellent coverage was achieved throughout the building. Key to the success of the project was guaranteeing that Burton Manor’s original features took centre stage and so, to ensure this was the case, a simple colour scheme was used throughout the building. Curtis Painting Group Ltd used a range of neutral shades from the PPG Voice of Colour range, including Aqua Smoke (PPG1034-5) and White Clover (PPG10-31).
 
Gary continued: “Our brief was to give Burton Manor a new lease of life before it became too late to save it, and we needed to do this in line with English Heritage principles and to suit Russell Taylor Holdings Ltd’s own philosophy of preserving an important heritage site for future generations. We’ve created a space where staff can enjoy going to work and taking in their surroundings, while also satisfying the local residents’ hopes that the building at the heart of their community could be restored to its former glory. We’re very proud that our work has contributed to the restoration, and to the continued legacy of Burton Manor as an important piece of national history.”
 
An award-winning restoration
Burton Manor was close to ruin but has been beautifully restored by Curtis Painting Group Ltd, with the project earning them the Restoration category and Supreme Winner titles at the Johnstone’s Painter of the Year Awards 2019.
 
Bryan Parkes, Regional Sales Manager at PPG, commented: “Curtis Painting Group worked incredibly hard to make the dream of restoring Burton Manor a reality. The team’s dedication to transforming the main building, as well as the refurbishment of a café and the conversion of further historic buildings into small artisan shops across the site, within a 12-month timescale has given Russell Holdings Ltd and the local community a building to be proud of. It was no mean feat for everyone involved, and we’re honoured to have our paints put to such good use.”