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St. Paul's Cathedral - Phase 1 & 2

Cleaning and conservation of the interior of Wren's masterpiece

Nimbus undertook these first phases of work on the interior of St. Paul’s Cathedral between 2001 and 2003.

The principal reason for the project was to clean the interior. Wren originally covered the stone with three coats of oil paint and, because this became dirty and decayed, it was removed in the late 19th century. The caustic means of removal together with subsequent applications to the wall surfaces, gas fired heating and the levels of pollution in the atmosphere all conspired to leave the walls, mosaics and paintings looking very dirty.

Following extensive trials, a latex based material called Arte Mundit was used to clean the stonework www.ftbrestoration.com. This was developed in Belgium and has proved to be very successful in the first two phases of the project. Nimbus conservators, as well as carrying out the careful cleaning of the stone surfaces also cleaned and consolidated the gilding, mosaics, painted surfaces and the large number of marble monuments found both at floor and high level.

The results of the first two phases have revealed once again the magnificent carving as well as returning the interior to something
more akin to Wren’s original intentions.

Client: Dean and Chapter of St. Paul’s Cathedral
Surveyor to the Fabric: Martin Stancliffe
Photograph by: www.constructionphotography.com