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NORTH'S LEANING TOWER TO STAND TALL AGAIN
 By ANDREW WHITE
The North-East’s own version of the Leaning Tower of Pisa is to be straightened – thanks to a £4m National Lottery grant.
Work began yesterday on the first phase of a multi-million pound scheme to restore one of County Durham’s most important 18th Century parklands to its former glory.
Durham County Council announced it has received further vital funding from the Heritage Lottery Fund to enable it to start work in earnest on a ten-year scheme to restore the Georgian gardens at Hardwick Park, near Sedgefield, to their former glory.
One of the key jobs, which the grant of just over £4m will fund, is to correct the tilt of the park’s own leaning tower so that the stone-built structure can be saved and rebuilt to its full height.
The landscaped gardens at Hardwick were created in the 1750s by acclaimed architect James Paine, but many of the features he designed and built now lie in ruins or are partially lost to a tangle of undergrowth.
The large ornamental lake disappeared in the 1860s and a mock-Gothic tower is now only half its original height and leaning about four inches from the vertical.
As part of the restoration project, the council wants to rebuild the tower to its full height of 50ft.
Hardwick Park project officer Catherine Grezo said: “It would be neither safe nor practical to rebuild the tower without correcting the lean or providing proper foundations.
“So, as happened with the famous bell tower at Pisa, we have called in specialist engineering consultants to advise us on the best way forward.
“Our solution will be different to that being employed at Pisa, and will involve the injection of precise amounts of special structural resin into the ground directly beneath the sagging wall.”
Other aspects of the first phase restoration will be to excavate and restore the ornamental lake, and restore the Temple of Minerva, the Gothic Seat, the Grand Terrace and the circuit walk.
A heritage resource centre, car park and new entrance are also included in the first phase work, together with measures to conserve and enhance the park’s ecological value.
Tower of strength: Project Officer Catherine Grezo at Hardwick Hall’s mock-Gothic Tower
Picture: NIGEL WHITFIELD
News items and pictures courtesy of "The Northern Echo" 23/9/03
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PARK IS CLASSIC OF ITS AGE
The park at Hardwick Hall was created between 1754 and 1757 and was considered to be one of the finest examples of 18th Century design in County Durham.
The owner and rebuilder of Hardwick Hall, John Burdon, spared no expense in achieving his ambition of changing his 150 acres estate into a park containing all the fashionable buildings of the day.
Celebrated architect James Paine was appointed and the buildings he produced included a banqueting house, temple, grotto, bath house, Gothic seat, Gothic ruin and rustic stone bridge over a newly-created serpentine lake, in which stood a statue of Neptune.
Durham County Council bought the site, excluding the hall, in a severely dilapidated condition, in 1972.
The authority began restoring the park with grant aid from the Countryside Commission, but repeated approaches over the years to a number of specialist bodies and local businesses for help towards the cost of restoration were unsuccessful.
It was only when the park won Conservation Area status ten years ago that grant aid from English Heritage allowed the council to turn its attention to rebuilding the Serpentine Bridge.
Now, the injection of millions of pounds from the National Lottery will enable the complete restoration of the parkland.
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BATTLE OF TWO TOWERS - in Sedgefield
 | The Gothic Tower at Hardwick Park was built in about 1760.
The Hardwick Tower was originally 50ft, but neglect reduced it to about half that height. It is 9ft in diameter.
The tower leans about 4in from the vertical.
The straightening operation will involve injecting resin beneath the wall, which will then expand and “pump up” the sunken ground.
About 230,000 people a year visit Hardwick, but that number is expected to significantly increase once restoration is complete.
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BATTLE OF TWO TOWERS - in Pisa
 Construction work on the Leaning Tower of Pisa was started in 1173 but took 200 years to complete.
The eight-story tower is 180ft tall and 52 ft in diameter at the base.
At its summit, the structure tilts 16ft from the vertical – increasing at a rate of 0.04in a year.
Work to correct the lean by 45cm started in 1990 at a cost of £25m and involved using lead weights to sink the tower into a cavity under the wall.
Since the tower re-opened in 2001 visitor numbers have been restricted to 30 at a time, booked in advance.
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PARK WEBSITE SECURES ECHO AWARD
 Award winners: From left, Friends of Hardwick Lesley Fitzpatrick, John Fitzpatrick and Jack Glendinning with Andrew Hutton, CommuniGate web editor, and fellow friend Tom Stubbs.
A WEBSITE set up to promote an 18th Century park has picked up a prize from The Northern Echo.
The site, at www.communigste.co.uk/ne/friendsofhardwick2, charts the progress of restoration work taking place within Hardwick Country Park, in Sedgefield, County Durham, and is run by the Friends of Hardwick voluntary group.
It has been chosen by our CommuniGate team as Pick of the Month.
Andrew Hutton, CommuniGate web editor, said: “We chose their CommuniGate site because it highlights a superbly worthwhile project and, while still under development, is a great resource for visitors and local people, who can find out what is going on at Hardwick Park and also follow the progress of their extensive restoration project.
“As you can see from their website, Tony Blair is also a supporter of the cause.”
The website team won a pair of Long Shotz digital binoculars, donated by Sales and Marketing Services, of Darlington.
Picture and story courtesy "The Northern Echo" 11 October 2003.
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