Assems walls undergo expert paint analysis Part 1

You may have noticed over the past weeks that the exterior walls of The Assems have started to stand out a bit more beneath its currently scaffold cladded façade. Amongst the series of works being undertaken to restore the building, a key focus has been to restore the original stonework.

We are very keen to see that the project is led by the building’s history and where possible any renovations nod back to earlier schemes. With this in mind a specialist paint analyst (Karen Morrissey of Messenger BCR Group) has been consulting on the history of The Assems walls; its stonework in particular.

This photo taken in 1911 at the time of King George V coronation, although not clearly visible due to the black and white imagery; shows the stone work unpainted and in its original state. This approach was taken right up until the 1970s.

Around 1973/4 when this photo was taken the stone work was still unpainted; however the roman numerals appear to have been painted in a darker colour.

Samples taken revealed a few layers of existing paint and following removal, the stone work appeared to be heavily worn and discoloured.

To give the stone work a sympathetic look in line with its original grandeur, the approach has been to apply a cream coloured paint to match the earliest layer of paint. This can be seen in the photos below.