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Conservation of Ruins
Britain has an exceptionally rich heritage of ruined monuments and a long tradition of caring for them. Lying on the borderline between architecture and archaeology, such monuments are usually roofless, often stripped bare of woodwork and other more perishable contents by previous owners, vandalism and weathering. It is sometimes thought that ruined monuments do not require any maintenance but in fact they can be more vulnerable to decay than roofed buildings which are wind and watertight. Ruined walls without the protection of a roof or external finishes are subject to the full effects of weathering from all sides and a ruin which is not maintained will eventually be lost to all but the archaeologists.
The conservation of ruined buildings and ancient monuments is a particularly fascinating area of our work, expressing as they do the 'time dimension' more graphically than any other building type we deal with. Frequently neglected and unsafe, and an unwelcome liability for their owners, they require special understanding of decay patterns and mechanisms, but when properly conserved and maintained ruined ancient monuments can be valuable assets with outstanding landscape and natural heritage values in addition to their cultural significance as evidence of the past.
How do you go about conserving a ruin? We specialise in the conservation of ruins and their re-use or restoration to secure their safety and preservation, minimise maintenance and where possible, give them a sustainable future use. Drawing on 20 years experience our services include archival historic research to provide a context for proposals, archaeological investigation and recording, measured and condition surveys, conservation plans and statements. We can arrange specialist investigations by conservators and ecologists; prepare conservation proposals, act in obtaining consents, advise in grant funding, and design and administer schemes of vegetation clearance and structural stabilisation, reconstruction, restoration, consolidation, repointing, waterproofing and wallhead weathering, re-roofing, access improvements and presentation.
Our clients to date include government agencies, local authorities, local amenity societies and trusts, and private owners. See Publications or click on the links below to read more about some of the ruins we have advised on; use your browser Back button to return to the menu:
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© Robin Kent Architecture & Conservation | 2005 | Last revised 2011 | All rights reserved