Hewell Grange Ruins, Worcestershire

Project overview

Hewell Grange Ruins sit within the historic Hewell Grange estate near Bromsgrove, Worcestershire, forming the remains of an earlier hall that once served as a focal point within a wider designed landscape. The Grade II* listed structure, constructed predominantly in sandstone, comprises fragmented elevations, a partially standing high-level portico with pediment and classical columns, and associated walls and basement areas.

Decades of exposure had left the ruin in a fragile and unsafe condition. Wall heads had eroded and become unstable; the portico and columns were supported on extensive scaffold; and localised foundation movement and water ingress were contributing to ongoing decay. The site also lies adjacent to a lake and within a rich ecological setting, where subsequent surveys confirmed the presence of nesting birds and roosting bats.

Against this backdrop, a programme of conservation-led stabilisation was developed, focusing on:

  • Stabilisation and consolidation of sandstone walls.
  • Structural interventions to the high-level portico, pediment and columns.
  • Basement excavation and foundation improvement works.
  • Targeted stonemasonry repairs, indents and repointing.


The scheme was guided by conservation principles in line with Historic England guidance and delivered in close consultation with Bromsgrove Council’s Conservation team.

Our commission centred on recovering commercial control, realigning the project budget with the true scope and risk, and supporting the client in successfully procuring and managing the remaining works.


Heritage and conservation context

As a Grade II* listed ruin within a historically significant estate, the project demanded a careful balance of safety, conservation ethics and affordability. The overarching conservation philosophy could be summarised as:

  • Minimum intervention: Undertaking only the works necessary to stabilise the structure and arrest further decay, avoiding unnecessary reconstruction.
  • Retention of authenticity: Working with as much existing fabric as possible, preserving tool marks, weathering and patina that contribute to the ruin’s character.
  • Like-for-like repair: Using compatible sandstone and lime mortars, appropriate jointing profiles and traditional techniques, guided by stonemasonry expertise.
  • Reversibility where feasible: Ensuring that structural interventions and stainless-steel fixings were discreet and, where possible, reversible for future conservation.


These principles have a direct impact on cost. Conservation works rarely follow a straightforward “new build” pattern; they involve peeling back layers of history and responding to discoveries on site. For a Quantity Surveyor, this means embracing a higher degree of uncertainty, providing structured contingency, and building flexibility into the procurement and change-control approach.


Our appointment and brief

Staffordshire Cost Consultants were engaged after an initial phase of procurement and early works led by others had encountered significant challenges. At the point of our appointment, the client faced:

  • An existing contract sum and partially developed bill of quantities that no longer reflected the evolving conservation design.
  • A risk register that understated ecological and ground-related risks and did not adequately account for “unknowns” within the ruin fabric.
  • Concerns regarding value for money, scope creep, and the risk of escalating final costs without clear visibility of the true cost-to-complete.


Our brief comprised four core elements:

  1. Retrospective commercial review of the contract position, including allowances, contingency, risk registers and previous changes.
  2. Comprehensive add/omit exercise against the original bill of quantities to align measured scope, specification and rates with the current design intent and conservation methodology.
  3. Procurement and commercial leadership for the remaining stabilisation and stone remediation works, with a particular focus on specialist heritage trades.
  4. Establishment of a robust revised cost-to-complete / contract sum, providing a realistic financial baseline upon which the project could proceed with confidence.


We were appointed as Quantity Surveyor, working collaboratively with the design team, structural engineers, ecologists, the main contractor and Bromsgrove Council’s Conservation department.


Initial findings – unpicking a problematic first phase

Our first task was to understand the project history and commercial position as inherited. This involved:

  • Reviewing the existing form of contract, tender documentation, bill of quantities, pricing schedules and early instructions.
  • Reconciling the contractor’s cost reports with the original allowances and the emerging design information.
  • Analysing site records, progress photographs and correspondence to understand the extent of works completed and any deviations from the original scope.
  • Reviewing the existing risk register and contingency provisions, and comparing them to the actual risk profile on a heritage ruin in an ecologically sensitive setting.


This forensic review highlighted several key issues:

  • Misalignment between scope and pricing: The original bill of quantities had not been fully updated as the conservation methodology evolved. Several critical activities, particularly around structural interventions, hidden basement conditions and extended scaffolding durations were either under-allowed or entirely omitted.
  • Insufficient risk allowances: Ecological constraints, groundwater and lake-related issues, and the inherent uncertainty within the ruin fabric had not been sufficiently articulated in the risk register or reflected in contingency.
  • Fragmented change control: Variations and scope changes arising from on-site discoveries had been captured inconsistently, making it difficult for the client to see a clear, consolidated commercial picture.


Our role at this stage was as much about rebuilding confidence and clarity as it was about pure measurement. We translated a complex, fragmented commercial position into a structured, auditable baseline from which future decisions could be made.


Re-baselining cost and risk – the add/omit exercise

A central component of our commission was a full add/omit exercise based on the original bill of quantities. This process involved:

  1. Re-measurement of key work sections – particularly wall stabilisation, basement excavation, foundation improvements and high-level portico works – based on the latest drawings, conservation method statements and engineer’s details.
  2. Systematic comparison of re-measured quantities and refined specifications against the original BoQ items and rates.
  3. Identification of “omits” – items previously included but no longer required or reduced in scope (for example, not proceeding with certain intrusive works where a lighter-touch conservation solution was agreed).
  4. Identification of “adds” – new or enhanced items arising from revised conservation methodology and structural design, including additional stainless-steel ties, grouting, underpinning, and extended access requirements.
  5. Market testing of specialist rates where appropriate, particularly for stonemasonry repairs, stone supply, and heritage scaffolding and temporary works.


This detailed exercise allowed us to:

  • Replace the inherited, partly obsolete pricing schedule with a current, evidence-based cost model.
  • Demonstrate clearly to the client where cost increases were a function of scope refinement and necessary conservation principles, rather than uncontrolled growth.
  • Identify genuine opportunities to omit or rationalise non-essential works while maintaining safety and heritage value.


The outcome was a revised contract sum and cost-to-complete that reflected the true scope, risk and market conditions. Crucially, this was presented in a transparent format that Bromsgrove’s Conservation team and other stakeholders could understand and interrogate.


Procurement strategy for specialist heritage works

With the commercial baseline re-established, we turned to the question of how best to procure and manage the remaining works. The project required a combination of:

  • Heavy temporary works and access solutions to reach high-level stonework safely.
  • Specialist sandstone repair and consolidation by experienced conservation stonemasons.
  • Basement excavation, underpinning and foundation improvements, with careful management of groundwater and adjacent structures.
  • Ongoing ecological protection measures for bats and nesting birds, in line with licences and method statements.


Our procurement approach focused on:

  • Clarity of scope: Updating the scope documents and BoQ to reflect the refined conservation methodology, so that tendering contractors were pricing on a consistent basis.
  • Selection of an experienced team: Engaging contractors and subcontractors with demonstrable heritage experience, particularly in sandstone ruins and complex temporary works.
  • Appropriate risk allocation: Ensuring that high-level unknowns (for example, the condition of buried foundations or masonry behind loose facing stones) were addressed through measured provisional sums, contingency and clear change-control mechanisms, rather than unrealistic fixed prices.
  • Programme realism: Allowing adequate time for ecological constraints (such as bat breeding seasons and bird nesting windows), inspections by conservation officers, and the inherently careful pace of hand-executed stonemasonry.


As Quantity Surveyor, we led the commercial aspects of this process, from preparing updated tender documentation and evaluating returns, through to negotiating and recommending a revised contract sum aligned with the re-baselined cost model.


Ecology, lake setting and programme risk

The surrounding landscape, including the adjacent lake, is ecologically sensitive and forms an integral part of the heritage value of the estate. Ecological surveys confirmed the presence of bats and nesting birds, triggering specific statutory protections and licensing requirements.

From a cost and programme perspective, this translated into:

  • Restricted working windows to avoid disturbance during key breeding or nesting periods.
  • Method constraints, such as limits on noisy operations at certain times or the need for soft strip and hand-demolition sequences under ecologist supervision.
  • Additional allowances for ecological watching briefs, temporary bat roost provision, and protective measures around habitat zones.


We worked closely with the ecologists and design team to quantify these implications in a structured way. Ecological constraints were treated not as an afterthought but as defined risk items and measured allowances within the cost plan and risk register. This approach prevented ecological requirements from emerging as unmanaged variations later in the programme.


Commercial management during delivery

Once the revised contract sum and cost-to-complete had been agreed, Staffordshire Cost Consultants remained involved to support the client through the delivery phase. Our services included:

  • Regular financial reporting, tracking cost against the revised baseline and clearly presenting commitments, forecast final account, and remaining contingency.
  • Change control, ensuring that discoveries within the ruin fabric – for example, voids, poor-quality historic repairs or unexpected foundation conditions – were captured, costed and authorised through a controlled process.
  • Risk register reviews, revisiting the risk profile at key milestones to retire closed risks, introduce new ones where necessary, and maintain an appropriate level of contingency.
  • Valuations and payment recommendations, providing the client with independent assurance that payments reflected fair value for work completed.


Our focus was on maintaining commercial discipline without constraining conservation decision-making. Heritage projects often require rapid technical decisions in response to what is uncovered on site; our role was to ensure those decisions were matched by equally responsive, transparent commercial mechanisms.


Outcomes and benefits

By the conclusion of our commission, the project had transitioned from a position of uncertainty and commercial misalignment to one of clarity and control. Key outcomes included:

  • A stabilised, safer ruin – The sandstone walls, high-level portico pediment and columns, and critical foundation zones were stabilised in line with conservation best practice, reducing the risk of collapse and further rapid deterioration.
  • A realistic, defendable contract sum – The revised cost-to-complete and overall contract value reflected the true scope and risk profile, providing the client with a sound basis for governance and future audit.
  • Transparent value for money narrative – The add/omit exercise and re-measurement allowed us to demonstrate where costs were driven by essential conservation needs, and where savings had been achieved through scope refinement and omission of non-critical works.
  • Improved stakeholder confidence – Bromsgrove Council’s Conservation department, ecologists and other stakeholders could see a coherent, evidence-based cost plan aligned with heritage and ecological objectives.
  • Enhanced risk management – The updated risk register and structured contingency approach meant that previously unquantified risks, particularly ecological and ground-related, were now recognised, priced and actively managed.


For Staffordshire Cost Consultants, the project reinforced our belief that specialist, heritage-informed quantity surveying adds tangible value in complex conservation settings.


Why Staffordshire Cost Consultants

Hewell Grange Ruins is emblematic of the type of project where Staffordshire Cost Consultants brings particular strength:

  • Heritage and conservation focus – We understand the principles that underpin Historic England and local conservation guidance, and we know how those principles translate into methodology, risk and cost.
  • Forensic commercial analysis – Where projects have had a difficult start, we are comfortable unpicking existing arrangements, reconstructing the commercial narrative and re-establishing a workable baseline.
  • Pragmatic procurement leadership – We are experienced in shaping procurement strategies that recognise the realities of working with specialist stonemasons, structural engineers and ecologists on sensitive sites.
  • Clear, client-facing communication – Our reporting is written to be understood by clients, conservation officers and funders alike, not just by other construction professionals.


At Hewell Grange Ruins, this combination allowed us to help the client move from uncertainty and stalled progress to a position where the project could proceed confidently, with the right team, the right budget and the right controls in place. The stabilisation of the ruin is not only a technical achievement; it is a demonstration of how disciplined cost management, aligned with conservation values, can safeguard irreplaceable heritage assets for future generations.