Historic properties are a vital part of our heritage and they requires niche expertise to ensure the fabric of the building can be preserved while commercial needs are met.

Take Newport’s Westgate Hotel. This month marks the 175th anniversary of the Chartist protests which saw 22 people lose their lives as they attempted to storm the hotel. Troops protecting the hotel opened fire, bringing the uprising to an end and marking the building out as a site of historic importance.

This year, the hotel’s owners sought to maintain and repair the Grade II listed building.

They appointed Lambert Smith Hampton’s building consultancy team, as it was essential that all repairs are undertaken within strict guidelines and that work would remain on time and on budget.

Andrew Nilsen, associate director at the commercial property consultancy’s Cardiff office, worked closely with Newport City Council's conservation officer to make sure the complex project that included cleaning of stone façade, essential repairs, external decorations to ironworks and timber surfaces as well as associated roof repairs and leadwork was managed successfully.

He said: “We have a good deal of experience working on conservation work for LSH in Wales and with that wealth of experience vital to completing renovation in this genre, we can add our design and contract administration expertise to ensure that the project meets the expectations of clients and commerce as well as conservation.”

Simon Thorpe, head of building consultancy in Wales, said: “The work at Westgate Hotel is representative of the varied services LSH provides, such as project management, contract administration and an awareness of the demands of today’s commercial environment as well as honouring the importance of our shared history.”