45 Queen Street – Restoring Heritage in the Heart of Oxford

Client: Oxford City Council

 Budget: £150,000

 Department: Construction

Completed: January 2025

Summary

ODS completed an external refurbishment at 45 Queen Street, Oxford, on behalf of Oxford City Council. The project focused on localised stonework repairs, window repairs and casement replacements, chimney repair works, including new handmade decorative chimney pots, to preserve and enhance the building’s historic features. Works were delivered to a high standard, ahead of schedule, and in close partnership with trusted local contractors.

Requirements

The window repair works consisted of a combination of repairs and replacement of the traditional leaded lites, including replacing the existing damaged casement windows.

The stonework repairs to the front elevation required the removal of the old lime mortar from the joints and repairing the cracked/damaged stone work.

The chimney works consisted of the replacement of the damaged flue liners and cowls and installation of a new decorative chimney pot.

The roof works consisted of replacement of Welsh slate tiles and traditional lead repair works, compliant to lead association requirements.

Challenges

1. Working in central Oxford meant a constant high footfall and traffic, requiring daily planning and safety measures to always ensure the safety of the public.

2. The repairs and restorations had to all be approved by the Principal Heritage Officer at OCC, including the 1800s chimney replica, which was hand made, to ensure historical accuracies were maintained.

3. The work was carried out above a retail shop which needed to remain open as usual.

4. The rear of the property could only be accessed through a local café which had built a temporary extension which also hindered access.

Solutions

ODS put in place comprehensive health and safety procedures. Careful planning and organisation ensured smooth execution of works in a challenging live environment.

Signage was produced for the chocolate shop to inform the public it was open as usual. The team worked closely with the café owners to arrange access to the rear of the property, and erection of scaffolding.

The new leaded window lites were made in the traditional method with real lead cames and restoration grade glass. Each piece of glass was cemented with lead lite cement with copper ties where required.

The new frames were constructed using SMW windows, designed for listed buildings. These windows have ultra-slim sections to match the original steel frames, were power coat finished in matt black and traditional ironmongery was installed to match existing.

The stonework repairs to the front elevation, consisted of removing the old lime mortar from the joints and repairing the cracked/damaged stone work with stainless steel helical bars in localised areas, repointed with new hydraulic lime mortar.

The chimney works consisted of the replacement of the damaged flue liners and cowls. This included installing two new chimney pots which were handmade to a highly detailed specification. A decorative element was important to retain in this location, as visible from street level and in context with Carfax tower.

Results

A beautifully restored heritage building located in the centre of Oxford that reflects ODS’s ability to deliver complex projects in sensitive environments. The client, Oxford City Council, expressed satisfaction with the outcome.

Client Testimonial

"The works carried out by ODS at 45 Queen Street were delivered to a high standard and with great attention to detail. The team were responsive, professional, and committed throughout, and the finished result has made a real difference to the building."

David Rutter, Major Works Project Manager, Oxford City Council

Before

During

After