Darlington-based Stone Technical Services (STS) is carrying out important restoration work at the official residence of Her Majesty the Queen.
Windsor Castle is the oldest and largest inhabited castle in the world with a history spanning over 1000 years and STS has been engaged to fully restore the timber flagpole, famous for flying the Royal Standard when the Queen is in residence and the Union Flag when she is not at Windsor.
The current 15 meter flagpole was first raised in 1892 and, at the time, workmen buried a box containing one shilling and five pence in pennies and half pennies beneath it, following the naval tradition of ‘mast stepping’, when coins were placed below the main mast of a ship.
The Queen usually spends her weekends at Windsor Castle and carries out formal duties, including hosting state visits by presidents, or presiding over investiture ceremonies.
Due to the sensitivity of the project, STS’s experts are using specialist rope access to limit disturbance and to ensure the work is completed quickly and without the need for scaffolds.
This is STS’s second visit to Windsor Castle having completed a full survey of the masonry on the castle’s terrace in 2012. The company has also recently completed a flagpole restoration at Southwark Cathedral in London and a full bridge restoration for the Royal Parks at the Serpentine in Hyde Park.
Over the summer, STS announced that July had been their most successful month in their 17 year history to take them ahead of their projected growth plans.
Managing director, Dave Stone, said: “Windsor Castle has a huge amount of historical significance all over the world, attracting thousands of visitors ever year. It’s vital that this prestigious project is completed swiftly and without disturbance which we can do thanks to our methods of working.”
STS is now on course to increase turnover by half a million pounds by the end of 2015 to £3 million and managers are now projecting growth of over £1 million pounds by the start of 2016 with turnover expected to reach £3.5 million.
STS is a leader in the field of historic, high level and specialist maintenance as well as lightning protection and industrial steeplejack services and comprises four divisions: – STS Lightning Protection, STS Restoration, STS Maintenance and Facilities Management and STS Conservation.
Darlington brothers, Dave and Grahame Stone, established Stone Technical Services in 1998 and now have offices inEdinburgh city centre, near Stockport in Cheshire and in central London as well as their HQ on Kellaw Road in Darlington.