The proposed works were for new steps to accommodate the south entrance to The White Tower at The Tower of London.
The Tower of London is a World Heritage Site and the White Tower was part of William the Conqueror’s original fortress which was built around 1077.
The challenging design brief issued by Historic Royal Palaces, stipulated that the new stair had to be on the same footprint, and foundations of the replacement stairs, while following the precedent of early carpentry techniques to reflect the Tower’s Norman architecture.
The stair is constructed in English oak from the Mapledurham and Hardwick Estates in Oxfordshire, a short distance from the carpenters’ yards where the timbers were hand hewn to size by side axe.
The resulting structure is an incredible piece of carpentry produced using traditional techniques, which has created a staircase which is not only in keeping with, but befitting to a National Monument.
