Interior Finishes and Fittings for Historic Building Conservation

Preface viii Contributors x 1. Conservation of the historic interior Michael Forsyth 1 Introduction 1 The presentation of historic interiors 1 Managing change 3 Building history and understanding signifi cance 4 'Reading' the classical interior 6 The fall and rise of craftsmanship 6 Joinery detailing: a case study 7 Finding 'forgotten spaces' 8 Conclusion 9 2. Stone fl oors Lisa White 11 Introduction 11 Materials 11 Floors 12 3. Cantilever or hanging stone stairs Ian Hume 19 How do they work? 19 Landings 21 Sources of problems 21 Investigation 22 Repairs 22 Load testing 23 Timber cantilever stairs 23 Conclusion 24 4. Decorative plasterwork: materials and methods David Bostwick 25 Introduction 25 Materials 26 Methods 28 Ceiling construction 32 Design 33 Finishes 34 Signifi cance 37 5. Woodwork Lisa White 41 Introduction: timber 41 Floors 42 Staircases 45 Panelling 49 Doors and doorcases 54 Architectural woodwork details 58 6. Metalwork and gilding Lisa White 61 Introduction 61 Staircases and balustrades 62 Architectural metal furniture 67 Gilding 72 7. Chimneypieces Lisa White 77 Introduction: early chimneypieces 77 Early chimney furniture 80 Seventeenth- and eighteenth-century developments 80 Firegrates and chimney furniture 85 Victorian style 87 8. Wallpaper Treve Rosoman 93 Introduction 93 A brief history of wallpaper 93 Making hand-blocked wallpaper 94 Hand block printing 95 Designing wallpaper 98 The selling of wallpaper 98 Where and how to hang wallpaper 99 Dating and identifying wallpaper 102 9. Textiles Annabel Westman 105 Introduction 105 Wall hangings 107 Window curtains 113 Floor coverings 117 Conservation 121 Glossary 122 10. Ceramic and glass Lisa White 125 Early fl oor tiles 125 Tin-glazed earthenware or Delft tiles 127 Victorian tiles 129 Glass 132 Mirror glass 138 11. The impact of historic lighting Lisa White 143 Introduction 143 Providing artifi cial light 143 Managing artifi cial light 148 The impact of artifi cial light 154 The impact of technological change 156 Conclusion 160 12. Paint colour and paintwork Patrick Baty 163 Conservation projects 163 Traditional paint 164 Care when specifying 167 Lead as an exterior paint 168 Distemper 169 13. Recreating historic schemes of interior decoration James Finlay 173 Research 173 Recreating and interpreting historic schemes 183 House versus home 184 Conclusion 185 14. Environment in the historic interior David Drewe 187 Introduction 187 Considerations with respect to people, collections and the building fabric 187 Heating 190 The options 192 Maintenance and statutory requirements 194 Conclusion 194 15. Fire safety in Georgian houses Peter Norris 197 Introduction: legislation and guidance 197 Fire protection 198 Fire-resisting doors 200 Code-compliant solutions to fi re safety and means of escape 201 Flat conversions 201 Fire engineering 205 Mixed-use buildings containing living accommodation 210 BS9999: 2008 Code of practice for fi re safety in the design, construction and use of buildings 210 Conclusion 211 Index 213