Issue 45 Feb 25 web - Flipbook - Page 48
Historic village hall
reaps the benefits of
natural insulation
Natural building materials from Ecological Building Systems have played an important part in a major
renovation of the historic Skelton Toppin Memorial Hall (John Castlehow Toppin Memorial Hall), in
Skelton, near Penrith, Cumbria.
The 101 year old building, was originally envisaged and
funded by Fred Toppin, vice-President of the International Mercantile Marine Company of New York, which
controlled the famous White Star Line. This was to
honour his father, who died in 1915, the head of a family
which held an honoured place in the public life of the
county and in the agricultural life of the district for many
generations. Although upgrades and maintenance to this
architecturally designed, purpose built hall had been made
through the years, the building had never been insulated.
2030 Architects of Penrith, were engaged by the Skelton
Toppin Memorial Hall Committee with plans for a
complete refurbishment to bring it up to latest insulation
standards and ensure local community members and
groups using the hall could enjoy a much improved level
of comfort.
The committee applied for a National Lottery Grant,
but the Covid lockdown held the process up, with the
consequence that when grants were made available, they
were for smaller amounts. The expected costs doubled
and tripled and the bigger contract bidders dropped out.
With the architect’s help a local builder, DMB Building
Below, Skelton Toppin Memorial Hall
Ltd, Penrith, agreed to break the major refurbishment
down into a number of phases of work. The ultimate aim
for this phase was to ensure the main hall was more comfortable and sustainable, whilst making use of renewable
energy to lower its carbon footprint.
DMB Building had used Ecological Building Systems’
products before in other sustainable renovations and
recommended its Retro EcoWall® internal wall
insulation system to bring the building up to modern
thermal performance standards.
The hall’s original lime plaster was preserved, where
possible, and Ecological Building Systems’ Diasen
DiathoniteThermactive, lime, cork and clay plaster was
applied to create a level surface to which Gutex
Thermoroom woodfibre insulation boards were added. A
lime-based finishing plaster was then applied over the top,
ensuring a breathable and durable finish.
In addition to the Retro EcoWall® system, natural
Thermafleece Sheepswool insulation was installed to
upgrade the thermal performance of the ceiling.
Robert Towers, Chair of the Skelton Toppin Memorial
Hall committee said: “The recent upgrade to the hall
has made a huge difference - it is now a comfortable,
energy-efficient space that can be used by the whole
