Maysand has been awarded a £500,000 contract to clean, repair and repoint the exterior of the landmark Port of Liverpool Building — one of the renowned ‘Three Graces’ at the Pier Head in Liverpool.

Built in 1907 of Portland stone in the edwardian baroque style, the Port of Liverpool Building is undergoing a £10 million refurbishment by owner Downing, one of Liverpool’s largest commercial property landlords.

Maysand found its expertise sought early on, after being appointed to the project by in-house contractor George Downing Construction, when its first task was to help refine the schedule of works.

MD Bryn Lisle explains: “We carry out this kind of work on historic structures regularly, so we were able to get involved with practical advice.

“We’re carrying out a 'mason's clean', a low pressure, nebulous water spray which gently agitates the limestone to wash away any grime on the surface. And we’re doing the whole of the exterior so we’ve brought in electric pumps to deliver the 500 gallons per hour needed to supply the cleaning units at the right pressure — even when they’re being used up at roof level.

“As well as the cleaning team, a repointing gang, several teams of stonemasons and a repair crew who will re-pin the stone with stainless steel in isolated areas, will be working on the project throughout.”

Maysand began work on the Grade II* listed building — originally built for the Mersey Docks and Harbour Co — in September 2007 and will finish in summer 2008.

John Walsh, Project Manager for Downing, says he’s more than happy with Maysand: “This is the first time we’ve worked together but Maysand has already proved that our confidence in its capabilities was well founded. Performance levels are good and it is clearly a very professional operation,” he comments.

images right (top to bottom):(1) building under wraps for the clean up; (2) Maysand tackles the stone repairs; (3) roof top view showing the equally famous Liver building in the background