Greyfriars Colchester - Hotel of Grande Luxe

    Built in the late 18th century on the site of a Franciscan Monastery, GreyFriars was an impressive family home with a fine Georgian facade and formal gardens. It remained a home until the late 19th century and was occupied by many leaders of Colchester's society.

    At the start of the 20th century Greyfriars was sold along with the neighbouring property Hillcrest to the Ladies of Nazareth for use as a convent. When The Ladies of Nazareth returned to France the house became a school and later an Adult College until it went up for sale in 2007.

    A period of several years followed, during which the new owner, OMC Investments Limited, sought and eventually acquired planning permission to create a luxury hotel and restaurant in GreyFriars. Meticulous attention to detail has been dedicated to repair the many superb period features in this Grade II Listed building and to restore it to its former grandeur. An essential issue to resolve was the problem of old windows and glazing, not only causing heat loss and draughts, but admitting the ingress and egress of noise. Set to become a hotel of grand luxe, it was of the utmost importance to ensure the building performed to 21st century standards providing guests with a peaceful and comfortable night's sleep.

    Selectaglaze was approached to give advice on the treatment of the beautiful original windows, as their products are a reversible adaptation and widely accepted by heritage agencies for use on Listed buildings.

    Secondary glazing is fitted to the room side of the existing primary window. When high performance seals are used secondary glazing can virtually eliminate drafts and traps an insulating layer which reduces heat loss. Secondary glazing also has the benefit of improved noise reduction; Selectaglaze's fully tested products can attain sound reductions to 45dB when fitted with an air gap of 100mm.

    Selectaglaze fitted over a hundred units using nine different systems, tailoring the units specifically to the project's needs. Some of the windows were curved which needed to be carefully designed and some carefully treated to allow access to some beautiful original stained glass for cleaning and maintenance.

    The majority of the windows were fitted with 6mm toughened glass, but in one particular area 10.8 Stadip Silence was used for noise containment to prevent disturbing people outside of the building.

    Founded in 1966, Royal Warrant Holder Selectaglaze is the acknowledged specialist and market leader in the design, manufacture and installation of secondary window systems. The company's units are purpose made, fully factory assembled - allowing rapid installation with minimal disruption, an ideal solution for all buildings, including those which are Listed.

    About Us

    Inex magazine and its complementary website is the ultimate specification resource for design professionals working in both the domestic and commercial marketplaces.

    Exclusive, cutting-edge content is delivered to inform and inspire esteemed professionals on a whole host of topics and discussions impacting the industry.

    Read More

    Latest Tweets