Projects

Dragon Hall is an ancient, mediaeval weaver’s house at 41 Strand Street, which was originally known as Pilgrims House, because pilgrims stayed overnight there, when making pilgrimages to Canterbury. It is a Grade I Listed Building, where Valerie was retained to improve the house, by securing Listed Building Consent to sensitively introduce a ground floor draught lobby and cloakroom, as well as fit secondary glazing to all the windows and restore the spacious, attic roof space. Valerie gave this space a sustainable new future, by creating an open plan family room/study/hobby room, full of character and life. Many of the historic Sandwich Weaver’s buildings were used by Dutch weavers who fled religious upheavals in the Netherlands during the 16th century, and who would ‘look out’ from the roofs to watch for impending danger. Valerie’s restoration work at Dragon Hall also included opening the Weaver’s ‘look out’ at the highest point of the roof ridge.