Restoration- Stone Rises to the Challenge in Westminster
Historic restoration specialists, Stone Technical Services in Darlington, have signed a major contract to carry out vital repairs to one of the UK’s most significant landmarks.
Westminster Abbey’s Chapter House, which dates back to the 12th Century and was the birthplace of Parliament, hasn’t undergone any significant repair work since the 19th Century when Sir George Gilbert Scott, the celebrated Victorian architect, restored the façade.
Stone Technical Services is working alongside English Heritage and sheet lead-work experts, J Hempstock from Manchester, to carry out spire repairs and lead works as well as specialist inspections of the cross detail in a contract worth in the region of £35,000 to Stone.
Westminster Abbey is on of the most visited places in the world and is part of the Westminster World Heritage Site. The Chapter House was originally home to the King’s Great Council, which later became Parliament.
Stone Technical Services are leaders in their field specialising in the restoration of churches and historic buildings as well as high level maintenance, safety systems, lightning conductor installation and services related to industrial steeplejacks.
The company regularly carries out specialist projects for English Heritage, the National Trust and local councils and is the appointed contractor managing structural and high level maintenance repairs and lightning conductor installations at St Paul’s Cathedral.
Stone employs 21 people at its headquarters on Kellaw Road in Darlington and five at its South East office in Pinner, Middlesex.
Managing director of Stone, Dave Stone, said: “The preservation and restoration work at the Chapter House is an incredibly ambitious project as very little improvement work has been undertaken for hundreds of years so it has fallen into severe disrepair.
“The site is of international importance and requires sympathetic and careful restoration as it has been badly damaged over the years by weather and city pollution. Our team has a great amount of specialist experience on similar projects, such as Selfridges on Oxford Street and St Paul’s Cathedral, so we are looking forward to preserving this wonderful building for future generations.”
