A HIGH-LEVEL maintenance firm responsible for the upkeep of Britain’s most historic buildings has secured £100,000 of work on some of the UK’s most stunning architecture.

The work comes as family owned Stone Technical Services, which has worked on landmarks including St Paul’s Cathedral, Westminster Abbey and Buckingham Palace, has seen business increase by about 30 per cent already this year.

The Darlington firm, which this year moved its London office to a more central location close to Piccadilly Circus, has secured four high-profile projects on historic buildings, two in the capital and two in the North-East.

Managing director Dave Stone, who founded the Kellaw Road firm with his brother, Grahame, said: “The vast range of projects we complete include a mix of both modern and historic architecture.

This recent batch of work is extremely diverse, working with some of the most prominent architects’ practices in the UK.

“Working on such breathtaking structures requires a huge amount of expertise and is a major exercise in preserving and revitalising some of our country’s most beautiful and important buildings.”

The first project will see it complete a series of refurbishment on the 14th Century Merchant Taylors’ Hall in the City of London, which is used for exclusive events and weddings.

Parts of the building have fallen into disrepair and Stone will work alongside Purcell Miller Tritton, one of the UK’s most renowned architectural practices, to refurbish 19th Century doors and windows and convert the existing glazed roof to protect it from weather and atmospheric damage. Also in the City, Stone will carry out a similar refurbishment project at White Lion Court, which is next to Merchant Taylors’ Hall, alongside Piccadilly- based chartered surveyor Goodman Mann Broomhall.

The work will include window, asphalt roof and stucco surface render repairs as well as masonry redecoration.

Back in the North-East, Stone’s newly-established surveys division has been engaged to complete a detailed inspection of the 18th Century National Trust-owned Gibside Monument, near Gateshead.

Stone will be providing a maintenance programme to help with the upkeep of the feature, at the former home of the Queen Mother’s family, and also test its lightning protection system.

In Northumberland, Stone is working with Blyth council, Meldrum Construction in Birtley and Napper Architects in Newcastle on a refurbishment project in the town’s high street.

As well as carrying out a range of masonry repair work, Stone’s experts will renovate shop fronts and complete intricate stone carvings.

Only three years ago the firm, formed in 1998, operated solely from its Darlington headquarters, before more work in the South led to it opening a second office in Pinner, in Middlesex.

In March, the company, employing 28, opened its fourth office in Cheshire.