Developing preventive conservation strategies for ‘problem stones’: Reigate Stone at the Tower of London

Much of England’s heritage is crafted in stone, and many historically important building stones are highly prone to deterioration. One such ‘problem stone’ is Reigate Stone, which was a very important building material in Medieval London. Used extensively in buildings such as the Tower of London, Hampton Court Palace, Westminster Abbey and the old St Paul’s Cathedral, Reigate Stone is of Cretaceous age (from the Upper Greensand formation). Reigate Stone contains silica (largely in the form of cristobalite), calcite and some swelling clays, and its unusual and complex petrology makes it highly prone to deterioration. Historic Royal Palaces (HRP) have spent many years trying to find a solution to the Reigate Stone problem, such as replacement stones, consolidants and lime wash. This project will evaluate results from their long term trials of these different treatments, take a fresh look at the problem, and develop more holistic preventive conservation strategies for Reigate Stone. Such an approach will provide a good model for the diagnosis and conservation of other ‘problem stones’ in future.

Aims and methodology: The project aims to develop improved holistic preventive conservation strategies for Reigate Stone at the Tower of London. The main research questions are:

1. How and why does the nature and condition of Reigate Stone vary across different locations in the Tower of London, Hampton Court Palace and other buildings?
2. How successful are the various trial conservation treatments of Reigate Stone carried out in 2001 and earlier at the Tower of London and other buildings?
3. How might an improved understanding and management of moisture regimes within Reigate Stone at the Tower of London contribute to more successful conservation?

The research will build upon knowledge and expertise gained from several decades of study of Reigate Stone and its deterioration at the Tower of London, Hampton Court Palace and elsewhere in SE England. HRP are already drawing together a large body of archival material on their experience of Reigate Stone which will provide a starting point for the student’s investigations. The project will employ a dominantly field-based methodology – learning from the current status of many examples of Reigate Stone informed by knowledge of both their history (previous treatments and past environmental conditions) and their current local environment. This approach is particularly applicable for the Tower of London because of the relatively large amount of Reigate Stone and the long history of efforts to conserve it, as well as the recent development of new techniques for in situ monitoring. The student will deploy a wide range of state-of-the-art environmental monitoring and non-destructive testing methods.

The student will develop specialised skills in field data collection, its analysis using GIS and other methods, and the application of the knowledge gained to practical conservation problems. The student will be supported by a heritage supervisor (Dr Constantina Vlachou from Historic Royal Palaces) in understanding the practical problems of Reigate Stone, an industrial supervisor (Ian Angus from Carden and Godfrey Architects) who will provide support in architectural conservation practice, and an academic supervisor (Prof Heather Viles, University of Oxford) who will take overall responsibility for the project and provide training in necessary scientific skills including environmental monitoring and testing methods.

Academic entry criteria: We welcome students with any good science or engineering undergraduate qualifications, including the scientific side of geography, earth or environmental science, or those with a strong conservation or archaeological background. Please contact the academic supervisor Heather Viles ([Email Address Removed]) if you have any queries about the project and your suitability for it.
Further information: The project is part of the EPSRC Centre for Doctoral Training in Science and Engineering in Arts, Heritage and Archaeology (www.seaha-cdt.ac.uk). SEAHA students are involved in activities ranging from residential events and group projects, to conferences and careers events.

The student will pursue the MRes SEAHA at UCL in year 1 and then be registered at the University of Oxford for years 2-4 of the SEAHA scholarship. Specialist training will be provided in the generation and analysis of environmental data, GIS and the use of NDT methods.

For full details on how to apply, please click on the project advert here:
http://www.seaha-cdt.ac.uk/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/P24-Project-Advert-FINAL.pdf

IMPORTANT INFORMATION REGARDING APPLICATION:
Applications should not be submitted by UCL online admissions system. Instead, they should be sent directly to the SEAHA Centre Manager: [Email Address Removed]

Application deadline: Midnight (GMT), 15th May 2015

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