Our recent restoration work over at Machynlleth also involved a very careful cleaning of the historic surfaces.

Cleaning any historic surface requires careful thought. Some cleaning processes used can actually harm the building and accelerate erosion.

Cleaning of some terracotta façades in the 1980’s has actually resulted in some buildings being demolished.

This is why Grosvenor Construction provides an extensive consultancy service when it comes to improving the look of our historic environment. The actual cleaning process is just the ‘tip of the iceberg’. Our professionals carry out Conservation studies, site surveys and impact assessments to find out the best result for cleaning your building – and even on occasion we are not afraid to say that ‘doing nothing’ is the best solution.

Over at Machynlleth the best solution was to provide a DOFF system which allowed for a chemical free cleaning of the surfaces. This was the best result for all parties – and the Angel felt a lot better too!

Below is a video of the various stages of cleaning of the Angel at Machynlleth

There’s no doubting the courage and tenacity of the local townfolk of Machynlleth, Wales,  who have campaigned tirelessly with literally ‘time against them.’

The old clock tower of Machynlleth has taken on iconic status for the town because of it’s key location and also because of it’s beautiful Gothic style.  But its future was in jeopardy because of the dilapidation of the clock and the general poor condition of the tower.

Grosvenor Construction were proud to win the contract for the conservation, cleaning and consolidation of the tower and the restoration of the clock.

What was fascinating for the Conservation specialists at Grosvenor was seeing the building slowly come back to life as it was gently cleaned with the chemical free DOFF cleaning system.

Amongst the other extensive skills used: the final gilding of the clock and weather vane brought the tower back to life and provided that extra level of satisfaction for the committed team at Grosvenor.

It’s specification, preparation and application require a considerable amount of knowledge combined with experience.

On a recent project over at Machynlleth in Wales, Grosvenor were responsible for re-pointing the famous Clock Tower.

Below is a photographic record of some of the application stages of lime mortar pointing at Machynlleth:

Applying the lime mortar to the mortar joint

Once applied, the mortar is left for a short period of time

The mortar is then brushed over with a steel brush (or equivalent)

The mortar is then sponged over with a damp sponge

The end result