Yorkshire-based eco-friendly linseed paint manufacturer plays role in £4m restoration project

Leeds-based eco-friendly linseed paint manufacturer Brouns & Co is playing a key role in a £4m regeneration project set to breathe new life into a historic quarter of Wakefield.
Michael Crossland
By Michael Crossland
Published 11th Apr 2024, 16:45 BST

The city’s Upper Westgate Heritage Action Zone has provided grants to businesses since 2020 to enable them to renovate and invest in more than 20 historically significant buildings in the Westgate area of the city, many of which were vacant and had fallen into disrepair.

The £4m, four-year partnership initiative between Historic England and Wakefield Council is using Brouns & Co’s linseed paint as part of the renovation process.

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The firm’s paint has been used on the exterior timber frontages of several of the historic buildings.

Westfield in Wakefield, where several buildings have been restored using Brouns & Co linseed paint.Westfield in Wakefield, where several buildings have been restored using Brouns & Co linseed paint.
Westfield in Wakefield, where several buildings have been restored using Brouns & Co linseed paint.

Britt Harwood of Mirfield-based Inc. Architecture, a specialist conservation architect who works predominantly on historic buildings and was the overseeing architect on the Wakefield scheme, said: “Using linseed paint was crucial to this important regeneration project.

"Not only is it virtually identical to the original paint that would have been used on these buildings when they were first built, and even manufactured using the same, traditional process, it also has far superior longevity and durability to plastic-based paint.!

Brouns & Co linseed paint was also used to restore the exteriors of Westgate’s Nocturno, Flares and After Dark nightclubs, as well as the Elephant and Castle pub, among a number of the historic street’s other listed buildings.

Related topics:YorkshireLeedsWakefieldWakefield Council

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