The property is owned by The Northumberland Estates. The site is situated across the road from the historic Alnwick Castle where Harry Potter and The Philosopher's Stone and Harry Potter and The Chamber of Secrets were filmed on location.
The Old Duchess School consists of a number of linked buildings with duo-pitched roofs covered mostly with Natural Slates. The buildings have fallen into dis-repair and there had been problems with rainwater ingress and pigeon infestations.
Due to the constraints of the site we carried out a visual survey with the use of an aerial drone. In order to avoid disruption we started the survey as soon as it became light enough in the morning. We identified areas of damage to most of the roofs and we have recommended a series of repairs as a minimum. The repairs take account of the Listed Building status and so are based on using suitable materials to match the existing.