Current Issue
Light at Mompesson House
The daily opening of the shutters at Mompesson House in Salisbury floods the house with light - but how does this affect the collection? National Trust Consvervation Assistant Kate Vince looks at the different ways that light is monitored to protect the collection whilst still creating a wonderful experience for visitors.
My first job in the morning is to open the shutters of the house. This lets the light flood the rooms and brings the house to life. I do a room at a time, clean it, then shut the shutters back down and plunge the house into darkness once more. This stops light from damaging the collection.
Light is an agent of deterioration and as such is monitored throughout the house. Viewing the collection in daylight is a joy but it has been well understood for centuries that light, particularly daylight, can cause objects to deteriorate. This damage is irreversible and cannot be rectified by conservation treatments.
National Trust building conservation programme
The National Trust protects historic buildings and buildings in the wider landscape. Their team works hard to ensure they are preserved for ever and for everyone, using traditional conservation techniques.
Our special places need a lot of looking after and you can read more about some of our most ambitious conservation and restoration projects in the next issue of this magazine. Ecclesiastical and Heritage World’s Autumn issue will feature a spotlight on the National Trust Restoration Programme with case study examples of some of the magnificent conservation and restoration successes old and new. Support and contributions from specialists nationwide is welcome.
Sound systems - speakers should be heard and not seen
Sound systems installations in places of worship can prove to be inherently difficult and challenging projects, often with complex architectural and acoustic obstacles to overcome, audio projects shouldn’t be undertaken without the appropriate knowledge and expertise to do so.
With audio requirements of places of worship becoming increasingly demanding, regularly hosting live bands, multiple presentations often with numerous zones within multiple spaces requiring high-quality audio playback audio system design for places of worship regularly use the latest networked audio technologies, multiple radio microphone channels and digital mixing desk invariably controlled by popular mobile devices.
Read more: Sound systems - speakers should be heard and not seen
Fire guidance for churches and heritage buildings
Fires in churches and heritage buildings have a number of causes and can have devastating consequences – not only in terms of damage to property, but also as the cause of serious injury and even loss of life.
The Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 requires all premises to undertake a comprehensive risk assessment to identify any possible dangers and risks, as well as the people who may be at risk. Leading church insurer Ecclesiastical Insurance and the Fire Industry Association offer advice on both the prevention of fire and the protection necessary should a fire occur.
Churches
Ecclesiastical Insurance has produced a guide for church authorities to help them undertake such a risk assessment and to minimise the risk of fire in their buildings. The guide identifies a number of common causes of fires and offers advice on steps to take to combat them.
Read more: Fire guidance for churches and heritage buildings
NFRC launches Safe2Torch Guidance
The National Federation of Roofing Contractors (NFRC) have launched their Safe2Torch campaign. The focus of the campaign is new guidance, developed in partnership with stakeholders across the industry, which aims to reduce the risk of roof fires when using gas torches on roofs.
The Safe2Torch campaign will directly affect at least 50% of all the flat roofs installed in the UK.
VMZINC focal point for £14m Hastings Pier redevelopment
The restored Grade II-listed Hastings Pier, built in 1872, has natural VMZINC® standing seam roofs which are undoubtedly the most immediately recognisable feature of the £14.2m redevelopment. dRMM architects’ vision to restore the pier to its former glory has been a resounding success following years of neglect, closure for eight years and a fire which tore through it in 2010. It has been shortlisted for the 2017 Stirling Prize.
Described as a national Victorian treasure, the domed roofs spanning covered seating areas are particularly eye catching and complement façades in the same system. Both will weather to take on the textured, natural grey patina which is so reminiscent of lead. The standing seam work was undertaken by specialist metals contractor Roles Broderick Roofing, whose craftsmen finished the roofs with ornamental zinc finials.
Read more: VMZINC focal point for £14m Hastings Pier redevelopment
New initiative and publication from Priva explains new ways to future-proof historic and listed buildings
Protecting the fabric of the historic or listed buildings is undoubtedly the ultimate priority for anyone associated with building conservation. However, the conservation sector may be unaware that it is possible to future-proof heritage buildings with the same control-based technologies found in modern structures.
With this in mind, leading building controls manufacturer, Priva, has published a guide, which includes case studies covering the integration of building and energy management systems at some of the world’s most famous buildings.
A London chapel shines new light
The Norfolk based company Kenton Brauer Stained Glass & Casements have recently taken part in the complete restoration to St Pancras Cemetery Chapel in East Finchley, London by restoring the main West tracery. In addition to this, they manufactured & installed nine new leaded lights to the North, South & West windows and undertook many repairs to the other tracery stained lights within the chapel.
This grade II listed Anglican chapel sits in one the largest and oldest cemeteries in the UK and was built by J.Barnett and W.C. Birch in 1853. It is of a cruciform design with gothic styled decorated windows.
Lighting for £20m restoration adds to historic integrity
Knole is in the throes of a £19.8 million conservation project, the largest ever undertaken by its owners the National Trust. The conservation and restoration of this 600-year-old property is firmly focussed on ensuring that its aesthetic is empathetic to its heritage and is historically accurate.
In the Cartoon Gallery named after the Raphael cartoons that hang in this the longest of Knole’s galleries, bespoke chandeliers have been manufactured by Dernier & Hamlyn to designs by the lighting designers, Sutton Vane Associates. They were cast in solid brass and hand finished in silver in a traditional Knole style that was adapted to include LED spotlights fitted to the baluster which are used to highlight artworks. The chandeliers replicate those that previously hung there, evidenced by historic photographs and archival material.
Read more: Lighting for £20m restoration adds to historic integrity
Shropshire tile company wins top awards
Craven Dunnill Jackfield has underlined its ranking as the leading manufacturer and supplier of specialist tiles for major restoration projects, having taken top honours in the TTA Awards. The company has been named in The Tile Association Awards as both winner of the prestigious Excellence in Manufacturing and as the manufacturer for the Best Renovation Project 2017.
Martin-Brooks receives heritage award recognition
Sheffield-based Martin-Brooks were proud to be one of just four firms shortlisted for the National Federation of Roofing Contractors’ (NFRC) heritage roofing award for its recent work at the Welbeck Estate near Worksop - the awards celebrate exceptional standards of workmanship in the roofing industry.
Martin-Brooks’ craftsmen have restored the roof on the historic Poultry House, which is being redeveloped into a children’s nursery as part of the Welbeck Project. It involved removing the existing coverings and replacing the highly decorative finish with as much salvaged material as possible.
Read more: Martin-Brooks receives heritage award recognition
Gateway to heaven?
Raikes Road Burial Ground in Skipton, North Yorkshire is a one-acre Victorian cemetery, originally opened for just 30 years from 1846 to 1878, after which it became forgotten and neglected with much damage.
The Friends of Raikes Road, a volunteer group, were formed in 2013 with the aim of restoring the old site, encouraging and studying the wildlife which had taken over the Ground, and bringing it back into Skipton's heritage. There was no surviving documentation about the site except for the Burial Register, from which it could be seen that 2,000 people were buried in this small area, being an overspill from the Parish Church graveyard.
We are Britain’s Brick Specialists
As ‘Britain’s Brick Specialists’, Michelmersh, the UK’s premium producer of bricks, pavers and roof tiles, has released a new corporate video, exhibiting the Company’s innovative brands that have become some of the most trusted names within the construction sector. With advancements in the Company’s latest technology processes, new designs and innovation, Michelmersh continues to retain its reputation for beautiful, durable and natural looking clay pieces to satisfy wider audiences.
The video demonstrates the Company’s outstanding reliability, unparalleled workmanship and high product performance to meet any design requirement. Laid in harmony with their environment, Michelmersh’s clay products command a strong character to every development and a charm that is truly deserved.
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