March 13, 2023
If you’ve been to Sugar House Island in the last few weeks, you might have noticed the reappearance of two of the Island’s most iconic heritage features – two Victoria era chimneys. The chimneys, which are thought to date back to the late 19th or early 20th Century, supported the industries that operated here over a hundred years ago.
When plans for regeneration of the site came together, it was always the intention of developer Vastint UK to retain as much of the Island’s heritage as possible; by retrofitting existing buildings, reusing materials and preserving the original chimneys.
Deconstruction
When works began on site, the three chimneys were carefully deconstructed brick-by-brick, salvaging as much of the original material as possible for the re-construction. The bricks were then cleaned and stored on-site until they were ready to be put back together.
The Re-build
Two of the three Chimneys have now been rebuilt, with the third to follow in a future phase of development. The chimneys were reconstructed using steel lattice type column and beam frames. The steel frame forms the internal core, which was then clad externally using the salvaged brickwork. The new structures are built like-for-like, replicating the original chimneys in every way.
The chimneys are no longer operational, instead serve as a celebration of the site’s industrial heritage as well as supporting urban wildlife. 24 swift boxes have been installed on the southern-most chimney, providing much-needed space for birds to nest.