North Northamptonshire Council appoints contractor for Cornerstone roof replacement project

26 February 2025

Following a full procurement process, North Northamptonshire Council has appointed Messenger as the contractor to complete the roof replacement works on the Grade 2 listed roof on Cornerstone in Kettering.

Messenger are based in Collyweston, North Northamptonshire, and have a wealth of experience working on listed buildings and in laying Collyweston slates on sites including Royal Hospital Chelsea and Leicester Cathedral.

Now that a contractor has been appointed, physical work can be planned and will be able to begin on site using a mixture of new, and where possible, reclaimed Collyweston slates on the roof.

It is great news that we have appointed Messenger to complete the roof replacement works - they are a very experienced local company and have worked on many projects similar in nature to our roof replacement project.

But no two projects are the same and we’ll now be working with Messenger on the details and the final timeline for the project to ensure that the works are completed as quickly as possible and within the budget that has been allocated. Claude N. Smith, who are mining and supplying the slates, are on schedule for delivery and planning permission has been approved, we are just working on the schedule of works. I am really looking forward to seeing work commence on site now the procurement process has been completed.”

Residents should be assured that all parties are working towards opening Cornerstone in full as soon as is physically possible.Cllr Helen Howell, the council’s Deputy Leader and Executive Member for Sport, Leisure, Culture and Tourism

Our team worked incredibly hard to present a competitive and thorough bid, and therefore we are delighted and privileged to have been awarded the contract to re-roof the historic roof on the Cornerstone building in Kettering.

The careful stripping and re-slating of Collyweston stone roofs is a delicate process, and we are honoured to contribute to the preservation of such an iconic building in North Northamptonshire. This project will further provide a great opportunity for younger members of our team to develop and learn from our more experienced stone slaters.Paul Gibbons, Managing Director of Messenger

Officers from the council will now work with Messenger to confirm the detailed timeline for the next phases of the project and this timeline will be published as soon as possible.

The library continues to be temporarily relocated into the upper floor of the modern extension of Cornerstone for the foreseeable future, whilst the library team continue to offer a full range of services and group activities.

More updates about the roof replacement project will be published on the Cornerstone website and you can also find the team on Facebook and Instagram.