Original Styles & Restoration

2a. Before Work - Wood Restoration

2b. During Work - Wood Restoration

2c. After Work - Wood Restoration

2d After - Wood Restoration Work

2e. Before Work - Wood Restoration

This is a well known historical meeting point known as ‘High Rocks’ in Tunbridge Wells. It is listed down as a national monument and dates back to the Victorian age where it was frequently visited as a popular family destination. The entranceway to the 'Rocks' had fallen into disrepair and needed extensive restoration work to replace the rotten timbers. As the venue is now used as a popular wedding site, on the weekends many weddings often take place there. Therefore as the work was extensive we were unable to complete all the works within a short period of time. Our working hours had to be flexible and we also had to be careful about the access equipment we used for carrying out repairs. No permanent scaffolding could be used as the entrance way is often needed to appear in the wedding photographs. This also meant that we had to carry out the restoration work in stages and then repaint areas (in preparation for the weekend wedding), and that would, the following week, need stripping back and then wood repairs carrying out.

2f. After Work - Wood Restoration

Our working hours had to be flexible and we also had to be careful about the access equipment we used for carrying out repairs. No permanent scaffolding could be used as the entrance way is often needed to appear in the wedding photographs. This also meant that we had to carry out the restoration work in stages and then repaint areas (in preparation for the weekend wedding), and that would, the following week, need stripping back and then wood repairs carrying out. The lower areas of timber near the ground were badly rotten and needed replacing. The spire had also rotten and the timbers which the tiles sat, even though this was visually disguised by the layers and layers of paint. The timbers underneath were terribly rotten therefore the tiles needed removing on both sides and the timbers replacing. The spire was hand carved by us so as to be the exact replica of the original Victorian design copied from an old postcard. The surrounding timbers that lead up to the spire needed replacing. Mortis and tenons were created to securely fix the post in place. We had to re-shape these pieces to match with the existing wood fretwork. Some of the wood details were hand stripped back to bare timber and were given several coats of exterior oil. The roof tiles were then reset back in place and the woodwork was painted with many coats so as to preserve it.

2g. Example of oak wood carving

2h. Example of oak wood carving

A creation of a fireplace surround in oak with wood carving.

2i. After Work - Wood Restoration

2j - Bespoke Oak surround with metalinsert

2k. During - Wood fireplace restoration

2l. Following work - Wood fireplace restoration

2m. Following work - Wood Window Restoration

These windows had been restored throughout the years but unfortunately had not been restored correctly. Therefore water was getting behind the timbers and rotting the wood. We first had to remove the paint so as to see the areas that were rotten and had suffered water damage. We then cut away the rotten areas back to a solid sound base so as to be able to replace the areas with replacement timber. We used reclaimed pine which had a measure of pitch in it that would act as a natural water protection and on some of the lower sills we replaced it with solid oak. The timbers were then given several coats of wood preserver and primer undercoat and gloss. The surrounding brickwork to the windows was also sealed as one of the problems was that water was passing through the brickwork and soaking into the timber that was in direct contact with it.