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Roof Cuppolas, Former Town Hall, Gainsborough

Wed, 10 Sep 2025 11:34:44 GMT

Roof Cuppolas Beautifully Restored Using The Repair Care System, Former Town Hall, Gainsborough

Beautifully Restored Historic Roof Cuppolas

As part of Carre Heritages' large project in partnership with West Lindsey District Council and the building owner, we conducted a survey of the roof cuppolas to the front and rear of the building to assess their condition.

Having inspected the cuppolas it was found that the timber and metal work required significant repair work.

Following discussions with the project design team it was decided the most suitable option for the repair work would be to use the repair care system.

This system would provide the best solution to stabilise the existing timber and create a solid, smooth finish thus allowing for the cuppolas to be re-painted and restored to their original beauty.

Alfie's Deli, Gainsborough

Thu, 26 Jun 2025 20:20:12 GMT

Bespoke Sapele Hardwood Shopfront, Alfie's Deli, Gainsborough

Beautifully Restored Historic Shopfront
Alfie’s had only just moved into 2 Market Place when we commenced the project so they were finding their feet all while major works were going on around them. This shopfront was also the 1st to be replaced, fortunately we were able to work with Baz the owner of Alfies to agree a date where they would close for a few days in order for the shopfront to be replaced. We were able to install a dust and debris screen between the shop counter and where the works were being carried out in order to keep the

The existing shopfront was of aluminium construction with large glazed panels. These presented some thinking during the removal as the glazed panels were so large and heavy but nothing plenty of hands on deck and glass lifters couldn’t sort.

Dave our Workshop lead had the intuitiveness to manufacture the shopfront in “Kit Form” this meant that the shopfront could be broken down, manufactured individually dry fitted in the workshop to check all dimensions then broken back down and transported to site. This gave us 2 main advantages which were: firstly that the shopfront was easily transportable and stored but also meant that from a security point of view the old shopfront could be removed and the new installed to a position where the premises was completely secure overnight.

Onsite the shopfront components could be fixed together, the stallriser, window frames, door frame, daisy grille, soffit and fascia, pilasters and top all fixed in position. Another time saving job was to pre cut all of the glazing beads so that when the glazers came to install the 10.8mm toughened glass panels into the shopfront the beads could be fixed in position straight away, again this enabled the security and weather tightness of the shopfront overnight.

Dave also pre-hung the door in it’s new frame in the workshop so all ironmongery was pre-drilled which meant that the door was easily fitted on site.

The decorators also Aluminium primed, undercoated and applied a 1st top coat to all aspects of the shopfront in the workshop so once fitted and in position there was only the need to touch up any marks during the installation with a final top coat once the installation had been completed.

What Is Sapele?

Sapele is an African hardwood.

Sapele (scientific name: Entandrophragma cylindricum) is a tropical African hardwood native to the rainforests of West Africa. It is usually pronounced suh- pee -lee, although suh- pell -ee isn’t uncommon. Other common names include sapelli, sapeli mahogany. The species gets its name from the Nigerian city of Sapele.

The species has a widespread growth range across tropical Africa, with significant populations in Congo, Ghana, Tanzania and Nigeria. The trees grow exceptionally tall and straight — up to 45 metres in height, and around 2 metres in diameter with almost no branching — lending it well to wider, longer lengths with good yield per log, with very few defects.

Colour

Sapele is a type of timber whose colour darkens with age. The heartwood deepens to an elegant, rich and magnificent dark reddish-brown. Expect to see an iridescent mixture of light pinks, reds, browns and golds, too. This prized colour mimics mahogany — both timbers are part of the Meliaceae family. Many high-end joiners are flocking to sapele as a more sustainable, cost-effective alternative to genuine mahogany.

Grain

Sapele’s grain pattern is close, woven and interlocking — its fibres twist tightly as they grow, aligning in opposite directions. This often produces eye-catching ribbon-like patterns on sawn boards.

It’s also common to find sapele with figuring. These are special markings produced in the wood grain . Fiddleback, quilted, wavy, beeswing, swirl, mottled and pommel figuring can all occur in sapele. The cause of wood figuring is much debated, but it’s believed to be the result of genetic deviation, bacterial infection or environmental stresses. It certainly provides a decorative, sought-after look.

Density

Sapele grows slowly, making it incredibly dense, heavy and scratch resistant, clocking in at a mighty 640kg/m³.

The wood has a Janka hardness score of 6,700 N, greater than genuine mahogany, white oak and teak. Janka score refers to the force required to implant a small steel ball halfway into a sample of wood.

Along with wenge (7,300 N) and zebrano (7,010 N), sapele is one of the strongest woods that is also widely commercially available. It has high resistance to knocks, bending and indentation.

Outdoor durability and stability

Sapele has very good natural resistance to moisture, rot and insects. Whilst treatment is recommended to lengthen the lifespan, it can withstand being left outdoors without a finish. Sapele’s commendable density also means it’s well suited to withstand knocks, bumps and scrapes that might occur outside.

Sapele’s density, hardness and propensity for straight-grained boles (the trunk centre) make it very stable and predictable throughout its lifespan as a timber product.

Workability

Sapele produces good results when turning, glueing and finishing, although it can have a blunting effect on tools. Due to its interlocking grain pattern, sapele can be prone to tearout when machining.

Sapele: uses

Furniture and cabinetry : Coffee tables, chairs, drawers, bed frames, desks — sapele’s workability, scratch-resistance and elegant, mahogany-esque appearance make it a time-honoured favourite for all types of high-end joinery. Sapele is also used in the manufacture of veneers.
Flooring : For a luxury project, sapele steps up superbly. Its reddish-brown tones provide opulence, with sapele’s superior density making it best placed to withstand the inevitable knocks, bumps and scrapes.
Decking : Although there are more popular species for decking — hello, Iroko — sapele’s good looks, scratch resistance and outdoor durability make it equally well equipped to act as an exterior decking timber.
Outdoor construction and furniture : This species can be used for exterior elements like window frames and doors, where the wood might be expected to withstand the elements to some degree. It’s also suitable for outdoor benches, tables, chairs, loungers, planters — you name it.
Boatbuilding : Sapele’s natural water resistance and receptiveness to treatment means it takes to water with effortless ease and elegance.
Musical instruments : Undoubtedly a more niche use, sapele’s acoustic properties nevertheless make it a popular choice for instruments. It is sometimes used for the back, sides and top of acoustic and electric guitars and for the neck piece of ukuleles and harps.

Sapele: sustainability

Given their prized physical properties, many populations of African hardwoods have been historically overexploited — that is, depleted faster than they can be replenished. Genuine mahogany, in particular, is at risk of becoming commercially extinct due to illegal logging and unsustainable export levels.

This is where sapele can help. Despite being listed as ‘Vulnerable’ in the IUCN Red List in 1998, there are thankfully now protected populations and restrictions on felling in many countries. Unlike genuine mahogany, sapele is not listed in the CITES Appendices.

It's crucial to buy yours from a merchant with a clear environmental commitment. We perform frequently traceability and sustainability checks on our suppliers – which even means trips to central Africa to survey our sapele stocks and the forest management practices .

Many operators have introduced strict verification and regulation schemes — buyers can request provenance documentation for peace of mind. Additionally, like all trees, sapele has carbon offset value. It sequesters carbon — a greenhouse gas — from the atmosphere during its lifespan.

When sourced from well-managed woodlands, sapele is verifiable, 100% renewable and sustainable, helping to curb unsustainable harvesting of other tropical timbers. The fact sapele grows tall and straight helps with yield per log, making it a very ‘efficient’ species.

Source: duffieldtimber.com

Barnes Jewellers, Gainsborough

Thu, 26 Jun 2025 20:16:15 GMT

Bespoke Sapele Hardwood Shopfront, Barnes Jewellers, Gainsborough

Beautifully Restored Historic Shopfront
Much like that of Alfie’s the existing shopfront was aluminium construction, the difference to the new shopfront is that the entrance doors were a pair of double doors. This meant that the the sizes of the glazed panels were different, the overall width of the entire shopfront was also different to that of Alfie’s this meant that all components had to be numbered in order for them to be easily matched on site and fitted in the correct position. The glazers were given the opening sizes for the glass so that it could be cut to size and ready for immediate installation when the shopfront was installed.

The floor levels for Barnes Jewellers were a little out of level which meant quite a lot of adjusting to bring the new shopfront level allowing the double doors to align and run flush with the frame.

To keep the individuality of each shopfront they were decorated in different colours to each other, using Little Greene and their Intelligent Gloss range Barnes Jewellers shopfront colour was decided to be Silt as a really nice contrast to the Three Farm Green of Alfie’s

What Is Sapele?

Sapele is an African hardwood.

Colour

Grain

Density

Sapele grows slowly, making it incredibly dense, heavy and scratch resistant, clocking in at a mighty 640kg/m³.

Along with wenge (7,300 N) and zebrano (7,010 N), sapele is one of the strongest woods that is also widely commercially available. It has high resistance to knocks, bending and indentation.

Outdoor durability and stability

Sapele’s density, hardness and propensity for straight-grained boles (the trunk centre) make it very stable and predictable throughout its lifespan as a timber product.

Workability

Sapele: uses

Furniture and cabinetry : Coffee tables, chairs, drawers, bed frames, desks — sapele’s workability, scratch-resistance and elegant, mahogany-esque appearance make it a time-honoured favourite for all types of high-end joinery. Sapele is also used in the manufacture of veneers.
Flooring : For a luxury project, sapele steps up superbly. Its reddish-brown tones provide opulence, with sapele’s superior density making it best placed to withstand the inevitable knocks, bumps and scrapes.
Decking : Although there are more popular species for decking — hello, Iroko — sapele’s good looks, scratch resistance and outdoor durability make it equally well equipped to act as an exterior decking timber.
Outdoor construction and furniture : This species can be used for exterior elements like window frames and doors, where the wood might be expected to withstand the elements to some degree. It’s also suitable for outdoor benches, tables, chairs, loungers, planters — you name it.
Boatbuilding : Sapele’s natural water resistance and receptiveness to treatment means it takes to water with effortless ease and elegance.
Musical instruments : Undoubtedly a more niche use, sapele’s acoustic properties nevertheless make it a popular choice for instruments. It is sometimes used for the back, sides and top of acoustic and electric guitars and for the neck piece of ukuleles and harps.

Sapele: sustainability

Source: duffieldtimber.com

The Meatery Butchers, Gainsborough

Thu, 26 Jun 2025 20:14:18 GMT

Bespoke Sapele Hardwood Shopfront, The Meatery Butchers, Gainsborough

Beautifully Restored Historic Shopfront

Along with the Shopfront replacement we also had the difficult in altering the inlet and exhaust ducting for the refrigeration and oven’s for this Shop. Again we were fortunate in working closely with the business owners in them closing the shop for a few days in order for the work to be carried out.

The Meatery had a pair of double doors within the Shopfront which mirrors that of Barnes Jewellers giving the Market Place Elevation of the Old Town Hall a nice symmetry.

To finish the top of the shopfronts a Flat Lead flashing was installed to protect the top of the Fascia Panel, this finish really completed the final look of the fronts mixing the traditional look with a modern feel. The Signwriting for each of the shopfronts was hand painted to meet the branding of each individual business while incorporating the Conservation Officers desire for them to look in keeping with the building.

What Is Sapele?

Sapele is an African hardwood.

Colour

Grain

Density

Sapele grows slowly, making it incredibly dense, heavy and scratch resistant, clocking in at a mighty 640kg/m³.

Along with wenge (7,300 N) and zebrano (7,010 N), sapele is one of the strongest woods that is also widely commercially available. It has high resistance to knocks, bending and indentation.

Outdoor durability and stability

Sapele’s density, hardness and propensity for straight-grained boles (the trunk centre) make it very stable and predictable throughout its lifespan as a timber product.

Workability

Sapele: uses

Furniture and cabinetry : Coffee tables, chairs, drawers, bed frames, desks — sapele’s workability, scratch-resistance and elegant, mahogany-esque appearance make it a time-honoured favourite for all types of high-end joinery. Sapele is also used in the manufacture of veneers.
Flooring : For a luxury project, sapele steps up superbly. Its reddish-brown tones provide opulence, with sapele’s superior density making it best placed to withstand the inevitable knocks, bumps and scrapes.
Decking : Although there are more popular species for decking — hello, Iroko — sapele’s good looks, scratch resistance and outdoor durability make it equally well equipped to act as an exterior decking timber.
Outdoor construction and furniture : This species can be used for exterior elements like window frames and doors, where the wood might be expected to withstand the elements to some degree. It’s also suitable for outdoor benches, tables, chairs, loungers, planters — you name it.
Boatbuilding : Sapele’s natural water resistance and receptiveness to treatment means it takes to water with effortless ease and elegance.
Musical instruments : Undoubtedly a more niche use, sapele’s acoustic properties nevertheless make it a popular choice for instruments. It is sometimes used for the back, sides and top of acoustic and electric guitars and for the neck piece of ukuleles and harps.

Sapele: sustainability

Source: duffieldtimber.com

Yorkshire Building Society, Gainsborough

Thu, 26 Jun 2025 20:10:13 GMT

Bespoke Sapele Hardwood Shopfront, Yorkshire Building Society, Gainsborough

Beautifully Restored Historic Shopfront

This was a very challenging shopfront replacement with the tenants being a Bank/Building Society, security was by far the most important factor. This meant that the work had to take place out of normal working hours. Fortunately this particular branch does not open on a Saturday so we were fortunate enough to have a full weekend to install the new shopfront. Like Alfie’s this was a single entrance door but we were a little limited as to the position of it due to the internal floor levels and finishes. We also had the extra job of re-fitting a fire retardant letter box which required an exact opening to be cut out of one of the glazing panels this meant a millimetre perfect template was made and sent to the glazers for this to be manufactured.

YBS also had strict regulations for locking systems and opening systems, we worked with their nominated contractors in order to complete this seamlessly.

To add to this we also had 3 new windows to manufacture and fit for YBS to the Flag Alley elevation. These were deisnged and manufactured to blend in with the new shopfronts. The detailing was carefully made to make sure that the flow followed on from the Market place elevation. Again this work had to be carried out when the branch was closed, another weekend of intense but ultimately rewarding work! Finally the YBS corporate branding was incorporated onto the front fascia with a mix of vinyl logo and hand painted lettering.

What Is Sapele?

Sapele is an African hardwood.

Colour

Grain

Density

Sapele grows slowly, making it incredibly dense, heavy and scratch resistant, clocking in at a mighty 640kg/m³.

Along with wenge (7,300 N) and zebrano (7,010 N), sapele is one of the strongest woods that is also widely commercially available. It has high resistance to knocks, bending and indentation.

Outdoor durability and stability

Sapele’s density, hardness and propensity for straight-grained boles (the trunk centre) make it very stable and predictable throughout its lifespan as a timber product.

Workability

Sapele: uses

Furniture and cabinetry : Coffee tables, chairs, drawers, bed frames, desks — sapele’s workability, scratch-resistance and elegant, mahogany-esque appearance make it a time-honoured favourite for all types of high-end joinery. Sapele is also used in the manufacture of veneers.
Flooring : For a luxury project, sapele steps up superbly. Its reddish-brown tones provide opulence, with sapele’s superior density making it best placed to withstand the inevitable knocks, bumps and scrapes.
Decking : Although there are more popular species for decking — hello, Iroko — sapele’s good looks, scratch resistance and outdoor durability make it equally well equipped to act as an exterior decking timber.
Outdoor construction and furniture : This species can be used for exterior elements like window frames and doors, where the wood might be expected to withstand the elements to some degree. It’s also suitable for outdoor benches, tables, chairs, loungers, planters — you name it.
Boatbuilding : Sapele’s natural water resistance and receptiveness to treatment means it takes to water with effortless ease and elegance.
Musical instruments : Undoubtedly a more niche use, sapele’s acoustic properties nevertheless make it a popular choice for instruments. It is sometimes used for the back, sides and top of acoustic and electric guitars and for the neck piece of ukuleles and harps.

Sapele: sustainability

Source: duffieldtimber.com

Bespoke Accoya Wood Shop Front, Dolphin Lane, Boston

Tue, 01 Oct 2024 15:54:43 GMT

Bespoke Accoya Wood Shop Front, Dolphin Lane, Boston

Bespoke Accoya Wood Shop Front
Manufacture, supply and installation of new shop front to 12 Dolphin Lane, Boston! This conservation area warranted the use of high quality materials including Accoya wood, Little Greene oil based gloss paint and traditional brass ironmongery.

This shop front was hand crafted and assembled in our workshop prior to being transported for installation on site. The manufacturing process included the use of highly skilled craftsmanship techniques in order to produce many aspects of the shop front including the corbels, consoles, cornices, fascia, pilasters, moulded brass cill, transoms, mullions, pilaster plinths, stall riser and doorway.

Following the installation, the shop front was hand painted in light gold (from the Little Greene oil based gloss paint range) and finished with tradition brass ironmongery including moulded brass cill, letter box, door handle and key locks.

What Is Accoya?

Accoya is a modified wood.

Accoya is a wood grown from sustainable sources and modified through a process called acetylation . Essentially this process modifies the balance of naturally occurring compounds in the wood to improve its durability, stability and other performance criteria. It is fully recyclable and contains only naturally occurring wood compounds. This makes it much stronger yet it remains real wood and is non-toxic. It is class 1 durability, extremely stable and structurally certified.

Source: accoya.com

Bespoke Hardwood Windows, Almshouses, Sleaford

website@sitemodify.com (Website Editor) — Fri, 16 Aug 2024 07:19:08 GMT

Phase 2 Almshouses, Sleaford

Bespoke Hardwood Windows
As part of the on going improvement works by our Client we were tasked with manufacturing and fitting more bespoke hardwood windows to the rear elevation of the property. With new efficient double glazing and draught proofing the residents will find their energy usage reduce due to the much improved u-values that double glazed hardwood windows give.

By matching the design of the existing windows we are able to keep the aesthetically pleasing look as well as satisfying all conservation regulations.

Sleaford Eastgate Almshouses (Formerly Carres Hospital)

A wonderful stone building built in 1830 by Architect H E Kendall on the site of the original 17 ^th Centruy almshouse founded by Robert Carre in 1636.

Legado Joinery along with Carre Heritage were employed to undertake window replacement to the entirety of the property in a phased manner. The windows themselves were manufactured to match the existing dimensions and pattern but with modern slimline double glazed units fitted to help with increased energy and noise performance. They are manufactured out of Sapele hardwood which will ensure they last for many years to come.

Each of the flats had tenants which meant that we had to work in a timely and efficient manner ensuring that the property was left fully secure after each days work, so it was a case of 1 old window out and 1 new window in at a time. We hope the tenants feel the benefits of the solid, thermally efficient windows!

New Hardwood Handrail, Grantham

website@sitemodify.com (Website Editor) — Wed, 10 Jan 2024 08:19:08 GMT

New Hardwood Handrail, Grantham

We were tasked with manufacturing and fitting some new Hardwood handrails for a client in Grantham who was worried about the safe access up to the property.

We machined some lengths of Sapele to the clients requirements and were able to bolt them to the existing metal railings to give the client added confidence when accessing the stairs and balcony knowing that they will last for many years to come!

Legado Joinery, Part of the D HATCHER & SONS Group of Companies

website@sitemodify.com (Website Editor) — Tue, 02 Jan 2024 08:19:08 GMT

Our New Corporate Branding

We are pleased to announce the launch of our dedicated bespoke joinery division as part of the D HATCHER & SONS. Group of Companies.We are pleased to announce the launch of our dedicated bespoke joinery division as part of our D HATCHER & SONS Group of Companies. Along with our new corporate branding comes our new website which we hope you'll enjoy browsing and we look forward to assisting you with your bespoke joinery requirements now and in the future.