Who carried out the structural timber and joinery works at Rutland Mills?

CJ Joinery Contracts delivered a £700,000 supply-and-install package for Sewell Construction during the regeneration of Rutland Mills in Wakefield.

What work did CJ Joinery complete?

Structural timber repairs, replacement rafters, tongue-and-groove roof boarding, timber flooring, steel-and-timber strengthening works, external doors, window surrounds, floor repairs and structural variations.

How many buildings did CJ work on?

Four Grade II listed mill buildings: Buildings 7, 9, 10 and 11.

What was the biggest challenge?

All four mills were being renovated at the same time on a fast-moving site, while extensive timber repairs had to be coordinated with steel strengthening and evolving condition assessments.

Case Study / Heritage

Rutland Mills / Tileyard North, Wakefield

Delivering a £700k specialist structural timber and joinery package across four Grade II listed mill buildings

Wakefield, West Yorkshire

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Heritage

Timber-lined roof and retained trusses - during the works

Project overview

Rutland Mills is a collection of Grade II listed former mill buildings on Wakefield Waterfront, next to The Hepworth Wakefield.

The derelict complex was transformed into Tileyard North, a major 135,000 sq ft creative industries destination incorporating studios, offices, event spaces, hospitality and other creative uses.

The wider regeneration programme attracted approximately £20.9m of investment. Sewell Construction was appointed to upgrade and stabilise four of the historic mill buildings.

CJ Joinery worked across Buildings 7, 9, 10 and 11, delivering a varied package focused heavily on structural timber conservation and renewal.

Key figures

£700k
CJ Joinery package: £20.9m approx.
Wider regeneration programme: 4
Grade II listed mill buildings worked on: 1,000m²+
New timber rafters: 1,000m²+
T&G timber roof boarding / cladding: 500m²+
T&G timber flooring: Buildings 7, 9, 10 & 11
Main CJ work areas: 135,000 sq ft
Tileyard North creative industries hub

Scope of Works

Scope of works

Detailed structural repairs to existing timber purlins and wall plates
Extensive cutting out and replacement of defective historic structural timbers
Supply and installation of new timber rafters across more than 1,000m² of roof areas
Supply and installation of more than 1,000m² of tongue-and-groove timber roof boarding / cladding
Structural repairs to timber roof trusses
Supply and installation of steel cleats bolted to existing king trusses
Timber repairs coordinated with specialist steelwork
Supply and installation of steel beams to reinforce existing floor-support structures
Supply and installation of more than 500m² of tongue-and-groove timber flooring
Repairs and replacement works to existing timber floors
New floor infills and structural timber alterations
Flat roof works, timber window surrounds and external doors
Padstones, lift-opening alterations and numerous structural variations

The Challenge

The challenge

Rutland Mills was particularly demanding because all four mill buildings were being renovated at the same time.

The site was fast-moving, with multiple workfaces progressing in parallel and extensive structural timber repairs having to be coordinated alongside steel strengthening works.

The historic buildings had suffered years of deterioration. Once areas were opened up, the actual condition of the existing timbers could vary significantly from what was visible beforehand.

A specialist timber-condition contractor appointed by the client inspected the retained structure and identified which sections could remain and which needed to be cut out and replaced. CJ Joinery then had to respond quickly, accurately and safely as repair requirements evolved.

Our Approach

Our approach

CJ Joinery worked closely with Sewell Construction, the specialist timber survey team and the wider structural team to sequence repairs across all four buildings.

Where defective sections were identified, CJ cut out and replaced affected areas and integrated new timber with the existing structure and associated steel strengthening.

The team maintained progress across several buildings at once while responding to newly uncovered defects and structural requirements.

Outcome

CJ Joinery successfully delivered one of its largest and most technically demanding heritage packages.

The project demonstrated the company's ability to combine traditional structural timber-repair skills with modern steel interventions and adapt quickly when existing building conditions changed as work progressed.

CJ's performance was particularly strong in structural timber repairs, adapting to unforeseen conditions and managing the scale and complexity of the package across four buildings simultaneously.