THE project to restore the roof of Newport’s Tredegar House is entering its final phases as scaffolding around the building is coming down.

Among the key tasks of the renovation was removing 35 tonnes of Welsh slate from the roof in order to gain access to the deteriorating timber frames.

The tiles have since been replaced with heather blue slates from the Penrhyn Quarry which sit on top of the watertight roof, designed to protect the house’s interior collections and increase energy efficiency.

“Tredegar House’s new roof with its lovely Welsh slates looks fantastic," said Sarah Parr, the building surveyor of the project. "We’re sure local people will be eagerly waiting to see its transformation when the scaffolding and drapes are taken off within the next few weeks.

“The reinstatement of the chimney pots, for example, has made a dramatic difference to the mansion.

“We’ve also made some interesting discoveries along the way, including some detailed analysis of the layers of paint that have been used over the years on the decorative joinery.”

Contractors have been working at the site for the past 10 months and have completed repairs to the chimney stacks, 12 dormer windows, re-painting and restoring decorative features.

However, there still remains work to do on repairing stonework and other areas of the roof.

“We’re really pleased that we’ve been able to do this major project and keep Tredegar House and Park open to the public for the duration,” added the project’s building surveyor.

“The scaffold climb tours during this time were a massive success. Visitors really enjoyed the experience of seeing the roof up close and the local area from a totally different perspective,” she added.