Our paint conservator colleagues are all accredited and have worked with us for many years.
Below is a gallery of images from our timber conservation work - click on the arrows to move left and right through the slides or click on the 'pictures' tab to see a selection of thumbnail images.
1a. St Mary's, Molland, Devon: triple decker pulpit and tester
Molland has one of the most complete 18th-century interiors in a medieval church situated on Exmoor. The pulpit and tester were becoming dangerous with the tester being propped for several years.
1b. St Mary's, Molland, Devon: triple decker pulpit and tester
Mouldings and hand cut veneers replaced on pulpit.
1c. St Mary's, Molland, Devon: triple decker pulpit and tester
The woodwork was conserved and the tester hung using stainless steel braided wire, thus avoiding disturbing the original cantilever beam in the north wall.
1d. St Mary's, Molland, Devon: triple decker pulpit and tester
After conservation
2a. Peterborough Cathedral: Nave Ceiling
The oldest and largest wooden ceiling in Europe, which took seven years to conserve.
2b. Peterborough Cathedral: Nave Ceiling
Detail
3a. St Mary’s Church, Temple Guiting, Glos: The Decalogue formerly installed behind the altar
Stunning quality design and carving of the mid-18th century. Pictured here before conservation.
3b. St Mary’s Church, Temple Guiting, Glos: The Decalogue formerly installed behind the altar
The conservation of the timber and later polychrome won a commendation from the Heritage Lottery Fund. Pictured here after conservation.
3c. St Mary’s Church, Temple Guiting, Glos: The Decalogue formerly installed behind the altar
Drawing showing conservation proposals.
3d. St Mary’s Church, Temple Guiting, Glos: The Decalogue formerly installed behind the altar
Drawing showing extent of work carried out.
4a. St Mary’s Church, West Worlington, Devon: wall panels, floors and benches
The panelling, spanning at least four centuries and found on every wall throughout the church, was all decayed; due to careful conservation, none was lost.
4b. St Mary’s Church, West Worlington, Devon: wall panels, floors and benches
Extensive timber replacement and reinforcement on back surface.
4c. St Mary’s Church, West Worlington, Devon: wall panels, floors and benches
Panelling during conservation, with minimal loss or repair showing on front face.
5a. St Mary’s Church, Abergavenny, Mons: choirstalls
One of the best sets of choirstalls in Wales with unusually designed high stalls for the dignitaries at the east end.
5b. St Mary’s Church, Abergavenny, Mons: choirstalls
Note the difference before the discoloured varnish was removed. Too much of our woodwork is distorted by the dark varnish applied in the 19th-century to make things look old.
5c. St Mary’s Church, Abergavenny, Mons: choirstalls
After conservation. Note the extent of original polychrome revealed
6. St Helen’s, Abingdon, Oxon: Lady Chapel ceiling
One of the highest quality collections of panels in the country, dating from 1391. It had suffered two bouts of 19th-century nailing and a 20th-century poorly considered heating scheme. The work was completed on the 600th anniversary of its installation. The woodwork and all of the panels were remounted, allowing for future environmental fluctuations.
7. St Andrew’s Church, Isleham, Cambs: Nave Roof
One of the great East Anglian angel roofs, where we attended to decaying angels and loosely fixed wings and all the other carvings.
8a. St Mary’s, Little Hormead, Herts: North Door
One of the most important early Norman doors in the country, exhibited at the Romanesque Exhibition in the Haywood Gallery in 1984. Recent dendrochronology confirms a date of circa 1150.
8b. St Mary’s, Little Hormead, Herts: North Door
Severe decay along base of door.
8c. St Mary’s, Little Hormead, Herts: North Door
Previous attempts at preserving the very decayed bottom edge had failed and these are now being addressed.
9a. St Morwenna, Morwenstow, Cornwall: figurehead
Probably the last figurehead surviving in a Cornish churchyard as a grave marker for those drowned when the brig Caledonia was wrecked within a short distance of the church.
9b. St Morwenna, Morwenstow, Cornwall: figurehead
The very decayed figurehead was carefully conserved and placed in the church with a replica in GRP reinstated above the grave in the churchyard. Note the unfortunate remodelling of the face when last restored.
9c. St Morwenna, Morwenstow, Cornwall: figurehead
After conservation.
10a. Number 9 Southgate, Gloucester: 17th-century house front
This rare survival of a panelled house front in Gloucester needed minor repair and protection against the elements.
10b. Number 9 Southgate, Gloucester: 17th-century house front
Following conservation.
11. Chesterfield Museum: Chesterfield: builder’s wheel
One of the very few surviving builder’s wheels installed in the tower of the parish church in the mid-14th century, but removed in the 1950s when the ringing chamber was moved. Surviving three moves in storage, the large number of components were finally reassembled and installed in Chesterfield museum in the early 1990s with the help of a major grant from the Science Museum.
12. Marlborough House, Brighton: portico
This important house was created out of local cottages by Robert Adam. The laminated columns and much else of the portico were falling to pieces, which we conserved. Of particular interest were the stucco roundels.
13a. House of Lords: Peers Lobby ceiling
Following the conservation of the Chamber ceiling, a different approach was sought for the Lobby ceiling and we were asked to carry out this project. The timber (as in the Chamber) had become desiccated by the gasoliers. It was interesting to see Pugin’s changes of mind in the colours he used.
13b. House of Lords: Peers Lobby ceiling
Detail
14a. Peterborough Cathedral: Norman gates
Following major impact damage these gates required serious repair, sadly only two years after we had already carried out general conservation.
14b. Peterborough Cathedral: Norman gates
The damage revealed the quite different original design of the front of the gates beneath the late 18th century refacing.
14c. Peterborough Cathedral: Norman gates
After conservation
14d. Peterborough Cathedral: Norman gates
Drawing showing extent of damage to front of gate
14e. Peterborough Cathedral: Norman gates
Drawing showing repairs carried out to front of gate
14f. Peterborough Cathedral: Norman gates
Drawing showing repairs carried out to back of gate
14g. Peterborough Cathedral: Norman gates
Drawing showing extent of stainless steel added to reinforce structure of gate, allowing full retention of original material
15. Church of the Holy Cross, Cruwys Morchard, Devon: chancel screens
Following a disastrous fire in 1697, the church was rebuilt and furnished. Maybe under the influence of the Lord of the Manor’s family, still there now after 700 years, some aspects of the work are of great quality for such a remote church in a poor county. Here the Grinling Gibbons style carved lime capitals and modillions can be seen following our recent major scheme of conservation and cleaning as well as an unusual frieze of yew wood.
16a. Derby Cathedral: Monument to Sub Dean Johnson
This early-16th-century effigy now lying on a 19th-century tomb chest (except the front panel carved with bedesmen) is undergoing minor conservation. The open shelf of the tomb chest is to be made secure so that the separate cadaver can be returned to lie below the effigy as originally intended.
16b. Derby Cathedral: Monument to Sub Dean Johnson
Here Elizabeth Cheadle (polychrome conservator) is testing the surface for traces of polychrome.
- St Mary’s, Molland, Devon: triple decker pulpit and tester
- Peterborough Cathedral: Nave ceiling
- St Mary’s Church, Temple Guiting, Glos: decalogue
- St Mary’s Church, West Worlington, Devon: wall panels, floors and benches
- St Mary’s Church, Abergavenny, Mons: choirstalls
- St Helen’s, Abingdon, Oxon: Lady Chapel ceiling
- St Andrew’s Church, Isleham, Cambs: nave roof
- St Mary’s, Little Hormead, Herts: north door
- St Morwenna, Morwenstow, Cornwall: figurehead
- 9 Southgate, Gloucester: 17th-century house front
- Chesterfield Museum, Chesterfield: builder’s wheel
- Marlborough House, Brighton: portico
- House of Lords: Peers lobby ceiling
- Peterborough Cathedral: Norman gates
- Church of the Holy Cross, Cruwys Morchard, Devon: chancel screens
- Derby Cathedral: Monument to Sub Dean Johnson
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