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Arundel Cathedral - Arundel

Cleaning and conservation of Bath stone interior

Arundel cathedral was built in 1873 for the Duke of Norfolk in a French Gothic style typical of the 13th century. Built by Hansom in Bath stone, the interior vaulting was decorated with chalk infills which over the years had become polluted and discoloured. The ashlar, decorative carving and huge stained glass rose windows had also become black with dust and candle soot combining with historic leaks from the roof .

After trials, that very careful vacuuming of the surfaces was necessary in order to avoid smears during the cleaning process. A combination of warm water washing and steaming was found to be an effective solution to most of the pollution on the interior. Ammonium carbonate poultice was also used for deep staining caused by historic water damage.

A team of nine conservators worked for one year on this project from a purpose built scaffold designed to give access to every inch of the interior. Work also included some repointing and replacement stonework.

As main contractor Nimbus also co-ordinated work on several sub-contracts including installation of the lighting and sound system, major ground works as well as the construction of specialised scaffolding.

Completion of this work created a great deal of interest in the national press due to the remarkable but sensitively undertaken transformation to the interior. The whole project revealed art and architecture of this important Victorian Gothic church that had previously been obscured.

Architect: Michael Drury Architects
Client: Arundel Diocese