Historic House - Gothic Screen Restoration

The Challenge

Following on from our work replacing balustrade at one of England's best loved historic houses Cranborne Stone was asked by the Trust tasked with it's safekeeping (Knebworth House Education and Preservation Trust) to examine the Gothic Screen which surrounds the house with a view to repair and replacement.

The screening dominates the entrance to Knebworth House and Grounds, it has a total length of nearly 140 metres and stands 6 feet tall in places. A combination of the elements, undergrowth and surrounding trees had caused decay to the screen and in some places total loss.

The Trust also required that any work undertaken must be at minimal disruption to the visitors and film crews who used the House and Gardens. 

Our Approach 

We attended site to survey the screen and put forward a comprehensive proposal for restoration and replacement. The proposal included a detailed photographic survey and a colour coded model of the screen detailing components to be replaced, restored and retained.

Once the scope of the work was agreed with the Trust our craftsmen created over 30 unique moulds, overcoming a number of technical challenges including recreating curved sections of the tracery. Over a 6 month period using a combination of traditional model making and state of the art computer programs we sympathetically replicated over 600 individual components. Deliveries were arranged to fit with the on-site installation program. 

Acting as project managers we coordinated the works with the Estate's Grounds Team and the specialist installers that we contracted. 

The Completed Project

By combing retention of the sections that were in good condition with repairing those that were damaged but still viable and then creating exact replicas for the sections that were beyond recovery we  were able to restore the Gothic Screening to its former glory whilst retaining its historic integrity.

Our holistic approach helped to ensure that the project was economically viable for the Trust, completed on time and within the agreed budget.

With minimal maintenance the results will now greet visitors for years to come.