Back in April 2020, Amber Valley Stone had some exciting visitors to their Somercotes factory. Philip Hughes Associates came to review the manufacturing of products order through Ellis & CO.

They came to see AVS manufacturing some very special coping units for a project in Devon at Powderham Castle.

Powderham Castle is a magnificent structure located in the heart of the Devon countryside surrounded by a picturesque gardens and an ancient deer park. First being mentioned in the Domesday Book in 1325, surviving both The War of the Roses and The English Civil War.

It is considered to be one of Britain’s most extraordinary buildings and is why it was chosen to be featured on the television series Nick Knowles – Heritage Rescue.

Powderham Castle had suffered damages to internal rooms due to part of the roof eroding, letting in rainwater through the previous year. Amber Valley Stone have had the amazing privilege of being involved in preserving the heritage of this impressive 600-year-old building.

Amber Valley Stone manufactured 130 unique coping stones for the project, using a careful process making individual moulds for each stone.

The Heritage Rescue television team came to see their processes and document what was involved in making these detailed stones. Amber Valley Stone had a great time filming with the team and showing them around their factory.

6 months later the episode Powderham Castle of Nick Knowles Heritage Rescue aired on Discovery+ and later on Quest.

The episode is still available to watch on catch up if you want to see more about the extraordinary history of Powderham Castle, meet AVS’s dedicated team and see how they manufactured the stone involved in its preservation.