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Flagship RSPB restoration project uses linseed paint.

Flagship RSPB restoration project uses linseed paint.

Published by Michiel Brouns on 12th Aug 2021

This summer the RSPB has completed a flagship wildlife conservation and education property renovation project that has used our natural linseed paint as a key component of the restoration process.

Located on the RSPB’s new wildlife reserve in the New Forest, Hampshire, the venture involved the low-impact redevelopment of a ruined cottage set in deep woodland. The scheme has created an environmentally sustainable education and research centre, designed to give young people immersive experiences in nature and spark an interest in the natural world.

Cameron’s Cottage, named in memory of keen teenage naturalist Cameron Bespolka, who died in a tragic accident, was designed for the RSPB and the Cameron Bespolka Trust by Moorhouse Architecture, based in Hampshire, as a sustainable, solar-powered and totally off-grid property.

As principal architect Joe Moorhouse says, “Our low-impact, sympathetic approach to the project was carried through to the paint. We used Brouns & Co’s linseed paint for all the external woodwork because it is breathable and completely natural.”

The newly completed cottage will accommodate groups of up to 19 young people for residential stays deep in the heart of the New Forest, and includes research and study facilities.

Using the latest in sustainable materials and tech, the cutting-edge property also features 71 solar panels, natural waste-water processing, recycled blown-glass insulation and wildlife-friendly extras such as bat roosting boxes for rare horseshoe bats and nesting sites for swifts.

Linseed paint is an incredible and sustainable product for wooden surfaces both outside and in and its use in the highly eco-conscious Cameron’s Cottage restoration is testament to its green credentials and durability.

Not only is linseed paint completely natural, it has been used for centuries, becoming usurped by petrochemical-based paints only in the last few decades. Now that safeguarding the environment has been pushed up the global agenda, the enormous advantages of linseed paint as a modern, sustainable, hypoallergenic and durable product are being widely recognised.