“Howarth Litchfield to complete £4.25m overhaul of historic Newcastle building”

“Howarth Litchfield has been appointed to undertake the £4.25m overhaul of a grade II-listed building in Newcastle, which dates back to 1899 and is home to the Discovery Museum.

Repairs will be carried out the the East Block of Blandford House, which houses the museum.

North East Museums, the organisation that manages Discovery Museum on behalf of Newcastle City Council, received a £3m grant in March 2024 from the Museum Estate and Development Fund (MEND) to support vital repairs to the roof, while also addressing external masonry and window repairs.

The remainder of the funding required has come from Newcastle City Council.

Following Newcastle City Council’s open tender for a lead designer in late 2024 to get the works underway and undertake architectural design and cost management services from RIBA Stages 4-6,  Howarth Litchfield, was appointed.

Director and conservation architect Neil Turner said: “We were delighted with this appointment by Newcastle City Council, which was awarded based on our experience.

“We specialise in preserving, re-developing and repairing historic buildings so they can continue to be used successfully. In this case, we are involved in the detailed design and delivery of the project on site.

“Working on a roof six storeys in the air with an atrium on one side poses various challenges so an engineered scaffold design will be required and this formed part of the tender package.

Important archives will also need to be protected during window restoration works.

“The museum will be operational during the works and the scaffold design will determine how long the Great Hall will be out of action.”

Keith Merrin, director of North East Museums, added: “We are very grateful for the funding we have received from the MEND programme, which is administered by Arts Council England, towards this crucial maintenance work at Discovery Museum.  It will be used to repair the roof over the magnificent Great Hall, which is used for events, some of which provide vital funding for the running of the museum.”

He said: “The work that Howarth Litchfield and their team will undertake is vital to preserving the building’s historic character and ensuring its continued use and enjoyment for generations to come.”

The restoration of the building is scheduled for completion in August 2026.

Adelphi Structural Engineers and Todd Milburn, cost consultants, have been employed through Howarth Litchfield to provide input into the detailed design while the project is being prepared for procurement.”

Words by Alice Bird, Features Editor at Insider.
Published: August 2025