Specialist stonework and restoration contractors Cathedral Works Organisation (CWO) in Chichester, Sussex, have scooped prestigious awards from RICS and RIBA for their £4.5million restoration of The Monument.

The Monument is a Grade I listed Portland limestone column in the City of London, designed by Sir Christopher Wren and Dr Robert Hooke and built 1671-77. Topped with a gilded, ‘flaming’ globe it commemorates the rebuilding of the City after the Fire of London of 1666. It is 202feet high – the distance it stands from the site in Pudding Lane where the fire is believed to have started.

Peter Bennet, The City Surveyor at the City of London Corporation, responded to news of the Award by praising what he called the “critical role” played by CWO in the project and their “high quality workmanship”.

He said: “Everyone recognises what a difficult and challenging construction site the Monument was and how much effort and skill went into managing the works on site to achieve the requirements of the design team.”

The restoration project, led by Julian Harrap Architects who share the honours, was featured in Natural Stone Specialist in February last year when The Monument re-opened to the public – and each year more than 100,000 visitors climb the 311 steps of the Pooil Vaaish limestone spiral staircase to the viewing platform constructed of the same stone, which comes from the Isle of Man, to enjoy the views out over the City.

The project, funded by the City of London Corporation, was the clear winner last month of the Building Conservation category of the RICS 2010 Awards, London Region.

This award honours conservation in all its forms with the judges paying particular attention to the construction materials and techniques used, conservation achievements, background research undertaken and the project’s long-term prospects.

The judges unanimously praised the approach taken, which has resulted in this emblematic structure being brought back to its former beauty without over-restoring.

London Region Judge Ross Sinclair said: “Seven years of research enabled the design team to understand The Monument and to find the most suitable solutions to the various problems which required to be rectified.”

The Monument went on to be named RICS’ Overall London Runner-Up across the four award categories, including Regeneration, Sustainability, Community Benefit and Building Conservation.

Barry Woodman, Chairman of the London Judges, said: “How pleasing it is to see an ‘old friend’ restored to health.”

The excellence of the architectural and conservation work on The Monument was also praised by the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) when the project won an Award from RIBA’s London region last month. It now goes on to compete for the Crown Conservation Award at the RIBA National Awards, which take place in October.

CWO have also won a second RICS Building Conservation award, this time in South East Region, for its restoration work under the direction of Martin Ashley Architects at St George’s Chapel, Windsor Castle.

CWO are one of the UK’s leading specialist stonemasonry companies. They have worked on the restoration of some of the nation’s most beautiful buildings, not least among them those of the City of London Corporation, including the award-winning relocation of Temple Bar into Paternoster Square in 2004. They are currently restoring and rebuilding St Lawrence Jewry Memorial Fountain, which should be finished this summer.