Great Hall stone cleaning required the utmost care

[JAMES STONE MASONRY LTD – in association with main contractor McCrory Holdings – were responsible for the cleaning of the stonework, lime mortar pointing, stone repairs and stone indents, and the descaling of the stonework by applying a poultice to remove salts.

The Great Hall in Manchester Town Hall is of immense importance – the 12 murals painted by Ford Madox Brown in particular had to be protected and great care taken when working around them.

The superb painted ceiling in the room (above left) is also quite remarkable. It is separated into panels bearing the coats of arms of principal countries and towns with which Manchester traded. The timber panels around the ceiling were cleaned, taking care not to damage the gold leaf and paintwork of the woodwork.

The cleaning of the stonework was undertaken with great care (above right). All the stonework was first washed with deionised water. A latex cleaning compound was applied to the correct thickness and left to cure, then peeled off the stonework – achieving extraordinary results. Any sensitive and delicate areas were first of all protected before the latex was applied.

Salts in the stonework were removed using a clay poultice. The stonework was first of all descaled, then the poultice applied and