A TRAWDEN company has been awarded first prize in the Heritage Project of the Year category at the National Federation of Builders’ Annual Awards 2013.

Penyard Ltd was celebrated for its transformation of the 15th century Kempnough Hall into a beautiful timber-framed cottage.

Poorly built extensions, an overgrown garden and rotting frames left the property, which had been unoccupied for three years, in an awful state of disrepair. Penyard Ltd demolished the substandard structures and recaptured the building’s historical beauty, also uncovering an original inglenook fireplace.

Penyard managing director, Jeff Stott, said: “I feel that a considerable amount of commitment and a passion for preserving this type of building is needed when embarking on a project of this nature as we have a duty to look after our heritage for future generations.”