Restoration and conservation of St Michael’s Mount, Cornwall


S


t Michael’s Mount is a tidal island in Cornwall, encompassing a castle, priory and historic fishing


village. Built between the 11th and 14th centuries, it’s the Cornish counterpart of Mont Saint-Michel in Normandy, gifted to the order of Mont Saint-Michel in the 11th century. It is also the legendary home of Jack the Giant Killer and his adversary Cormoran. St Michael’s Mount is now a private family estate managed by the National Trust, welcoming over 300,000 visitors a year.


z Client / Maître d’ouvrage: Joint Venture between National Trust & St. Leven Family


z Architect & Advisor / Maître d’œuvre: MRDA London


z Contractor / Entreprise: Cornish Heritage Builders


z BUDGET: In excess of €1,000,000 z Date finished / Réception du chantier: ongoing from 2006


Restoration work began in the late 1990s, was formalised as an ongoing conservation project in 2006, and is expected to continue for some time to come. Works across the site have been extensive and varied, carried out by a contracted in-house team specialising in heritage and conservation, and encompass the castle, outbuildings, village and environs.


The oldest structures are between 600 and 800 years old while the newest date from the Second World War, with all facing varying challenges and states of repair. Works have included repointing the entire castle,


consolidation of weaker structures, rebuilding gun emplacements, restoration of finials, and applying insulating renders and internal plasters.


Due to the frequent high winds and heavy rains encountered, external works have predominantly been carried out using Saint- Astier Pure NHL5 – Tradi 100®


as the most


suitable lime available for extremely exposed and aggressive coastal environments.


Consolidation works have been carried out using bespoke grouts based on either Saint- Astier NHL2 Terechaux® LC****®


or Pure NHL 3.5 depending on the strength required


and application. Bespoke internal remedial and insulating renders for state rooms were based on Saint-Astier NHL2 – Terechaux,®


as


the best lime available for use as a lightweight binder, and the Pure NHL available for a high quality internal render finish.


102


Listed Heritage Magazine January/February 2020


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