Wish Tower Door Restoration

Colbran & Wingrove were commissioned by the Wish Tower Friends CIC to restore the entrance door to Eastbourne’s Wish Tower.

Tower 73 is one of just 26 Martello towers remaining along the south coast. It is a scheduled monument under Historic England and, as such, requires sympathetic and faithful restoration work.

As with all towers, the door is approximately 2m above ground level on the first floor. It is now reached by wooden steps but would have originally been accessed via a drawbridge from the moat wall.

The door is substantial and likely to have been constructed of European Oak. It had been degraded by coastal weather and attempted break-ins overs the years. Clumsy repairs had been carried out in the 20th century and peeling paintwork, rusting metal fittings and a detached hinge also combined to threaten the door’s integrity, as seen in the images below.

“Fantastic work by local firm Colbran & Wingrove”

Our team removed it and hung a temporary door to secure the building whilst the restoration work was carried out. We stripped the wood and repainted it and worked with a blacksmith to repair and re-fit the hinges before we re-hung it to serve the Tower once again for years to come.

You can find out more about the project at wishtower.org.uk

You can also see examples of our work for the National Trust for whom we have restored seating at Birling Gap and managed renovation work at Frog Firle bridge in the Cuckmere Valley and Farrer Hall in East Dean.

If you are planning work on a protected or heritage building and would be interested in discussing your work or obtaining a quote, you can get in touch with us at: office@colbranwingrove.co.uk

November 2024