During the restoration of the reredos the conservator, Hirst Conservation Ltd, will be posting regular updates
Conservation work on the painted panels is now complete.
These ‘before and after ’ pictures reveal the full beauty of Sir Ninian Comper ’s artwork, and give testimony to the amazing work done by the professionals at Hirst Conservation Ltd.
As a church we have recognised the need for this work for more than 30 years, so we are immensely grateful to the Lottery Heritage Fund and to all our funding partners for at last making this possible.
During the past two weeks, retouching and final matte-varnish was applied to 6 of the panel paintings.
The panels were returned to St. Mary Magdalene Church, and a protective membrane applied to the verso of the panels.
The panels were then re-installed into the reredos.
Fills and retouching were also carried out to the reredos to restore the intended apdecorative patterns and colour field.
Cleaning was also carried out to the Aumbry, and fine mortar repairs carried out to the losses.
This week infilling continued to the panels with nearly all 13 panels completed with coloured fills.
Final retouching to the works has begun. This includes re-instating losses to patterns with reconstruction of designs. Tracings have been taking of all necessary areas to aid in the reconstruction of lost elements.
The replicated halo is now ready to be installed to replace the missing halo from Panel 4. It will then be filled and retouched to blend with the surface to match the original halos.
Conservation treatments have recently been carried out to the East Window. This has improved the clarity of the window through removing years of built-up dirt and dust via gentle cleaning of each individual glass fragment. The original colour brilliance is now visible, along with enhanced legibility of the painted details, with the light able to shine through the window as originally intended.
Figure 1 - examples of finely painted linework and tracery
The stained-glass window has dual functionality as a work of art and practical weather barrier, which means breaks can be a common occurrence within glass pieces. The most fragile breaks and areas of loss within the East Window were repaired in situ. Where spider cracks were present, glass fragments were in danger of dislodging from the lead matrix. For these areas, strap leads were applied to hold the fractured pieces securely in place.
Figure 2 - spider crack before (left) and after being mended with strap leads (right)
Figure 3 - break with multiple cracks (left) mended with strap leads (right)
A silicone infill was created for a hole in order to flexibly retain all glass pieces, and a strap lead used to securely hold. This allows the area of loss to blend cohesively. The window now remains weather-tight and stable.
Figure 4 - hole and multi-crack (left) mended with silicone infill and leads to blend repair with overall lead matrix
Figure 5 - scaffold access allowed for cleaning of even the highest and inaccessible elements to be treated
This week cleaning procedures were completed to all 13 panel paintings. Post-cleaning, a consolidant was applied to areas of paint loss in order to secure edges of original paint. The consolidant also acts as another protective layer for the zinc panels.
An isolation varnish was then applied to the painted surface of the 13 panels to prepare then for the next stages of treatment, along with adding an extra layer of protection while treatments were carried out to the reverse.
Corrosion was then carefully removed from the reverse of the panels, followed by application of corrosion inhibitor and a consolidant to act as a protective barrier.
This week corrosion removal was completed to all 13 panel paintings, followed by application of corrosion inhibitor...
Continuous cleaning trials were conducted on the panels to determine the most effective cleaning method. Widescale cleaning began...
Cleaning and repairs are taking place to the stained-glass of the East Window...
Back at Hirst’s Fine Art Studio, the conservation works to the panel paintings are underway...
Last week, Phillipa McDonnell from University of Lincoln Conservation carried out XRF analysis on the various colour fields to help determine elemental composition of the paints. This data is now being assessed to provide insight on pigments used and whether it can explain some of the corrosion behaviour, particularly when coupled with environmental conditions within the church.
This week, after an action plan was determined for treating corrosion to the panel paintings, the removal process began. The initial removal of corrosion product is being carried out mechanically. This careful and controlled method removes the evident galvanic corrosion, revealing the underlying zinc substrate. Corrosion inhibitor is then being applied to prevent reoccurrence. This will then be followed with a coating to all affected areas, to further prevent future corrosion.
This week all of the cleaning and consolidation of flaking paint to the reredos was completed. This has revived the appearance of original and historic paint schemes to the stonework. It has also prepared the reredos for the final aesthetic stages of treatment. This will involve filling and retouching of prior losses, which is due to take place in the upcoming weeks.
All the crenel repairs have been carried out, and an inscription ‘R’ was found at the top of crenel #3. Crenel #8 has been re-fixed and filled, with one original pin remaining and the other replaced by a titanium rod.
Next week, scaffolding will be erected to carry out cleaning of the stained glass to the east window and treatments will commence on the 13-zinc panel paintings back at Hirst’s Fine Art Studios.
