NEWS
most extensive repair works for nearly a century
SEnine
are needed to the Great Hall at Eltham Palace, SEnine understands.
Repairs to our 15th Century Icon The
Cracks to the walls and around the windows have been revealed by a routine audit of their estate by English Heritage, the building’s owners.
The extensive repairs are expected to have a major impact on visits to the Palace and the scheduling of the work is being worked out by English Heritage property experts.
Parts of the 15th century Hall, built between 1475 and 1480 by Edward IV, are likely to be closed for a lengthy period and its walls shrouded in scaffolding and sheeting.
The cost of the work is likely to run into hundreds of thousands of pounds but is essential if further serious deterioration and damage to priceless features is to be avoided.
Head property curator at English Heritage Jeremy Ashbee said: “The Hall isn’t in imminent risk of collapse but there are serious structural problems which need to be addressed.
“We probably won’t know the full extent of the damage until work is underway.”
Teams of consultants have examined the damage and come up with recommendations for repairs.
Much of the problem relates to Reigate Stone, mined from the North Downs, which was used extensively for Royal buildings in the period, at Eltham, the Tower of London and Hampton Court.
The stone decays on prolonged exposure to the atmosphere and Sir Christopher Wren described its use as ‘to be most lamented, an unhappy choice of materials’, preferring Portland Stone for St Paul’s and Greenwich Naval Hospital.
Replacement Reigate Stone is expected to be used to maintain the building’s authenticity; despite its vulnerability to decay.
The Palace is likely to make a virtue of necessity by making a visitor feature of the repair work, possibly by interpretive panelling and guided tours. Eltham is an English Heritage success story with the number of visits each year topping 60,000 and annual special events drawing crowds of more than 5,000.
The work could be carried out in 2011 or 2012 but much will depend on the need to avoid cancelling functions and events scheduled in, also potential use in and around the 2012 Olympics. It will also depend on the availability of skilled craftsmen, in demand for other projects around English Heritage’s estate around the country.
Construction teams will need to overcome the restricted access to the Palace, via the narrow bridge over the Moat and the need to avoid causing it damage.
Over the centuries after Royal occupation ended in the 17th century, the Great Hall fell into dereliction and was saved from demolition in the 19th century by an awakening heritage movement.
The most significant work done to the Hall was at the start of the 20th century when the famous false hammerbeam roof was systematically dismantled and reassembled with great steel braces, which are still visible, to support the weakened timbers
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