Case Study
Client: British Railways Board
Architect: The Conservation Practice
Quantity Surveyor: Franklin & Andrews
Engineer: BUGDENS
Principal Contractor: Wates Construction
Specialist Contractor: Stonewest
Services Provided: Facade Cleaning & Restoration, Conservation
Project Overview
Stonewest was appointed in 1993 to clean and restore the facades of the Chambers. Working closely with The Conservation Practice and English Heritage, Stonewest scheduled 60,000 items of repair and researched supplies of bricks and natural stone to match, as close as possible, the materials used in the original construction and their manufacturing methods.
Designed by George Gilbert Scott, Grade I* listed St Pancras Chambers is widely accepted as one of the finest examples of Victorian Gothic Architecture. Opened in 1873 and initially used as railway offices, the chambers endured decades of neglect but were eventually refurbished and the upper levels completely redeveloped as apartments.
Key Successes
- Varied cleaning methods to suit particular situations, including a traditional Nebulous water wash, wet abrasive cleaning and the first UK use of the JOS system on this scale.
- Repairs ranged from individual brick replacements to completed rubbed arches and carved features.
- 100,000 special bricks were procured.
- The chimney structures all required dismantling and rebuilding using reclaimed bricks and stone wherever possible.
- Statuary was consolidated and specialist stone repairs and stone carving by on-site masons completed the works.
