A DALES historic building project has won a major award.

Kendal-based Crosby Granger Architects scooped top recognition in the annual Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyor’s (RICS) regional awards.

In a prestigious gathering of around 350 property professionals in Leeds, historic building specialists Crosby Granger’s work on Eshton Hall, Gargrave, was named best building conservation project.

The judges said: “Often hidden out-of-view roofs and guttering are critical to the performance and function of buildings. Getting them wrong creates serious end problems.

"Eshton Hall illustrated getting it wrong. It now illustrates getting it right.

"The result is outstanding, not just in conservation terms, but in how the project team has future-proofed the building and embedded resilience, enhancing the performance of the roof and gutters to cope with higher rainfall and climate change.

"The quality of the lead work is seriously outstanding.”

Director Chris Granger said the firm was euphoric about the recognition, explaining the £1m project had been a labour of love and a challenge in equal measure.

Eshton Hall - a Grade II* Listed Building - was first visually recorded as a plain Georgian mansion in the 18th century.

It was comprehensively remodelled in 1825-27 and again in 1837-40 to form a grand Neo-Elizabethan country house.

Since its conversion into apartments in 2004, Eshton Hall rapidly began to show signs of distress from water ingress, damp and dry rot. When the company was initially consulted it was evident the hall was in a dire state of disrepair needing significant structural and wholescale roofing repairs.

The firm said it was delighted to have been able to complete these works and bring about a new era for this remarkable building.

Mr Granger said: "Based in Kendal and being invited to work on a major project designed by George Webster who was considered one of the best architects then living in the country, was an honor, to which we wish to extend our thanks and gratitude to the Eshton Hall Management Company for their faith in Crosby Granger Architects.”

The project will now go forward to RICS’s grand final awards in London on November 2.