Previous work saw doors restored

covered with cling film to prevent it from drying out too quickly. The poultice was then removed (above), and the stonework washed with deionised water.

James Stone Masonry also carried out lime mortar pointing to the stonework in the Great Hall. The old and defective joints were first of all cut out with a Fein cutter/multitool and hand tools. Dampened wooden wedges were inserted into the joints to prevent any movement of the other stones adjacent to the joint to be pointed. Tape was placed on each side of the joint (below) to prevent staining of the stonework alongside.

If the joint had to be back-pointed, damped hessian was inserted into the joint to prevent the mortar from drying out too quickly. The joint was then pointed to the required finish and tamped with a churn brush to pack the joint tight.

Commenting on the award of the contract, a spokesperson for James Stone Masonry Ltd expressed how proud the company was to be involved in such a prestigious project to restore such an historic Grade One-listed Victorian Gothic building. q • For further information visit www.jamesstonemasonryltd.co.uk

[THE LARGE CUBAN MAHOGANY DOORS and associated over-panels of Manchester Town Hall were restored in an earlier project by David Podmore and his first class team of restorers and conservators at York-based A G Podmore and Son.

Careful repairs and remodelling were carried out to size the doors and corresponding rebates to the original openings, following extensive alteration during the previous 70 years.

Veneers were repaired and matched using original periodsourced materials. Great emphasis was laid on cleaning and repolishing the surfaces to retain all the existing patina and colour. That was carried out with great skill by the French polishers who achieved an authentic finish.

Another interesting aspect of the work was that two of the doors were in fact sham dummies and had brickwork behind them. In the new scheme they had to be fully operational as opening doors, and so the craftsmen at A G Podmore and Son created a facsimile of raised and fielded panels on the reverse side – done using existing timber salvaged from the original redundant door linings, together with some flame mahogany veneers that had been in Podmore's stock for over 40 years. Once again, all the new work blended in beautifully. q • For further information on the company's work visit the website at www.agpodmore.co.uk