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Haleyford Manor Diamond Drilling

Clearing The Chimneys in Buckinghamshire

By Mark Castle New
We’ve been over in beautiful Buckinghamshire, helping get a Grade 1 listed manor back to its former glory.

So, what have we been up to?

This month, team C&P have been treated to a more picturesque site than normal. We took a break from runways and construction sites to take ourselves (and our kit) down to Marlow’s magnificent, Grade 1 listed manor. This gorgeous building, nestled by the banks of the Thames, had its chimney flues bricked and concrete sealed in the 80’s, but the new owner was keen to open these up once more and light those 16th Century fireplaces. It was our job to cut through the blocked stack to make way for the new chimney liners.

How did we do it?

To allow for the liners to be installed, we needed to cut holes 300mm in diameter and 3.0 metres deep. We brought in a bespoke scaffold system to accommodate our drilling engineers and to guarantee stability and positioning were correct. We started by drilling and coring to a depth of 600mm, before switching for a longer core and continuing to a depth of 1.0m. We then separated this core from its confines, lifted it out and broke it down into manageable pieces to allow for a swift and safe removal – before doing it all over again, twice more per hole, using extension rods to reach the required 3 metres depth.

Diamond Drilling Harleyford Manor
Our team drilling the bricked and concrete sealed chimney flues.

Why was it tricky?

As a Grade 1 listed building, it was essential that we completed our work without damaging the building in any way. The building’s status also meant that our approach not only had to comply with current building regulations, but also had to be approved by English Heritage. And all of this while working within the client’s budget and timings.

Luckily, we are a specialist diamond drilling company with a huge amount of experience so not to be defeated we came up with a workable solution that conformed with English Heritage status standards and delivered on time, and on budget, for our client.

Do you have a project that needs a clever solution, of simply some diamond drilling brute force? Either way, do get in touch today.