The iconic pannier market in Dartmouth was originally where locals used to buy and sell eggs, poultry and fresh produce and it’s been around since 1828. Even though the building itself has undergone two significant renovations (1975 and 2010) it has largely remained the same thanks to its Grade II listed building status.

But old buildings such as Dartmouth Market require constant maintenance and in some instances need the sort of remedial work that takes time, skill and a genuine understanding of older properties. For this work, Dartmouth Town Council (the building’s owner) called in the team at Ray Hannaford & Son. 

The project started as a result of an unexpected wall collapsed. What it exposed was a fundamental vulnerability in the design of the chimney stacks which meant that each one of the nine ‘double diamond’ stacks had to be removed and rebuilt with heritage bricks once again. 

Initially, the team at Ray Hannaford & Son were called in on an emergency basis to make sure that the building was safely secure. But since that point we’ve been working tirelessly with the architectural team, conservation officers and of course the clients themselves to replace each of the chimney stacks and the surrounding sections, making sure that the original look and feel was preserved in exactly the same way for future generations to enjoy.

The extensive project started in April and is expected to run through until October with a two month break for summer to enable the schedule to work around the main tourist season. What’s interesting is that once the project is finished, the building should look exactly the same as it did, just much safer than it was and of course ready for at least another 100 years of service to the town of Dartmouth.

Our team of professional builders are skilled, reliable, and trustworthy and we understand that it’s our job to work with our clients to deliver exactly what they want. We will always take the time to sit with our clients and discuss the job properly and to understand budgets, timings and to answers any questions that might crop up.So, if you do have any building requirements then please feel free to get in contact with the team on 07837 750981 and remember at Ray Hannaford & Son we specialise in turning dreams into homes.