In the longest project I've taken part in so far I worked from March to September 2013 with
Cliveden Conservation at the beautiful Norman
Tewkesbury Abbey. Working on the external stone we conserved through pinning fire damaged stones, re-pointing, rendering, tile repairs and cement removal.
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| The conserved side of the abbey after the project. |
Excluding the tower and the east-end, all of the walls on the south side of the abbey were fully conserved. The project was a huge undertaking and required a great deal of preparation and ongoing planning to ensure the lime related work was performed efficiently.
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| The lengthy triforium platform. |
The access to the triforium was provided by a suspended scaffold platform and mortar repairs on this lift required very regular tending over the exceptionally hot summer of 2013. The abbey has had a very controversial history of conservation, inspiring William Morris to found the Society for the Protection of Ancient Buildings (SPAB) following the highly destructive restoration of the late C19th. Now the conservation is much more sensitive and ethical.
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| Tile repairs to the west end of the south wall. |
Some previous restorers had used local sandstone to replace damaged stones. These stones are incompatible with the limestone of the building and had mostly turned to sand and been lost. To rectify this we used limestone coloured tiles and lime putty to build up lost areas of stone and return the shape of the original stone while still retaining the honesty of a visual repair.
Next Friday's archive will be on renaissance panels at St. Cross in Winchester.
