Tate Gallery of British Art, London - External
Description
Stonewest were awarded two trade contracts, one for the re-modelling of Galleries 9-16 and subsequently for the cleaning of all external masonry to the principal facades including the main entrance portico. The facades had suffered from the effects of both London’s pollution and bomb damage from the Second World War.
The works involved:
- Traditional nebulous water cleaning supplemented by low pressure soft wet abrasives.
- Areas where thick carbon deposits had built up over the years from rising pollution from street level had to be carefully hand dressed by masons prior to cleaning – this was to ensure damage was avoided yet the best overall cleaned finish was achieved.
- Repairs included repointing of open and defective joints to prevent water ingress and Portland Stone repair using matching stone.
- A particular point of interest was the treatment of war damage. According to the regulatory bodies this is now considered as a ‘historic note’ and as such , provided it is not causing a potential hazard or might permit water retention, it should be left alone.
- Constant monitoring and re-inspection of this damage is required so that war damage can be distinguished between normal wear and tear or recent damage, when scheduling such repairs against a contract programme.
