A DORSET business has installed 367 windows at one of the country’s most historic sites as part of a £1million project.

South Coast Windows installed the aluminium-framed windows – some as tall as five metres – at Portsmouth Naval Base, home of HMS Victory.

The base is the oldest in the Royal Navy and has been an integral part of the city since its construction in 1194.

It employs more than 17,000 civilian and military personnel and is home to almost two-thirds of the Navy’s surface fleet.

It is home to the new £6billion aircraft carriers HMS Queen Elizabeth and HMS Prince of Wales as well as Lord Nelson’s flagship HMS Victory and Henry VIII’s favourite ship, the Mary Rose.

The Ministry of Defence put out a £1m tender earlier in the year to replace all the windows and doors in the Victory Building.

The tender was won by building contractor Bryburn, which in turn awarded the work to independent Poole business South Coast Windows, owned by Keith Middleton.

The company’s team hit the 12-week deadline to complete the project.

Nigel McAlwane of South Coast Windows, based at Poole’s Willis Way, said: “It was imperative that we finished the works on time.

“The building plays a key part in the Navy’s day-to-day running and having this key accommodation unavailable just wasn’t an option for our client.”

The new windows have not only given the headquarters a facelift but have made the building more energy efficient.

A spokesman for the MOD said: “It was a mammoth undertaking, but the installers did fantastically; delivering quality, on time and within budget.

“It has made a huge difference to the Victory Building, and we are delighted.”

Keith Middleton said: “This was a hugely exciting project for us.

“A lot of the work we do is providing windows and doors for our domestic and commercial customers - and while we have worked on many large projects before, this is the first for the MOD and we are honoured to have been involved.

“We’re enormously proud of the results.”