Restoring Commissioner’s House: Coving
Restoring Commissioner’s House: Coving
Conservation volunteer, Veronica discusses her role in helping to restore the Commissioner’s House.
Veronica’s Story
Whilst at the Dockyard, I had the opportunity to take part in some restoration work within The Commissioner’s House, specifically the restoration of the coving in the Sunne room and Sunne annex.
There is a slight difference between restoration and conservation, although the two are closely linked and often overlap.
A restoration approach is to return an object to as close to its original function/state as possible. Conversely, conservation focuses on preserving what is left of the piece to slow down deterioration, only intervening if necessary.
In interior design, a coving provides a smoother and decorative transition between the wall and ceiling; the coving within the Commissioner’s House serves this purpose with its grand design.
The details of the covings have been obscured due to the multiple layers of paint that have been applied over time. The reveal of the design through the removal of the old paint layers would provide aesthetic and historic value to these rooms and add to their beauty for weddings and formal events.
Techniques used
The coving was identified as plaster with preliminary testing on the different paints showing no signs of lead. PPE is still necessary for this type of work to protect myself from contact with the paint stripper itself, fumes, and fine particles.
PPE such as full-body overalls, gloves, a face mask and a visor was worn throughout the process with windows and doors open to allow a well-ventilated environment.
A thick layer of paint stripper, Peelaway 7, which is labelled as a water-based product and is gentler compared to others in the Peelaway series, was applied to the coving at the start of the day.
The coving was covered over and left to work for 24 hours. The following day, the thick layer of stripper would be removed with a spatula, leaving the exposed layers of paint. The spatula was then used to carefully scrape the now soft paint layers from the coving without causing damage to the plaster. Blue roll was used to wipe off any remaining applicant.
Finishing the Project
The option of a steam cleaner was introduced in my second week of work to assist the Peelaway 7 in removing some stubborn areas and hasten the removal process to align with work deadlines. Whilst this method would not be appropriate within conservation practice, the method was approved for this project, as it is a known method for paint removal within historic house restoration.
My preferred method was to use a spatula to scrape the paint away, revealing the intricate design, followed by using a wooden skewer to carve paint out of its finer details.
I would then dry and clean the plaster by using blue roll, before using a damp micro-fibre cloth or sponge to wet clean the plaster and remove difficult areas of paint stripper. Finally, using the blue tissue once again to remove any water from the plaster’s surface.
I felt I had more control using this method, whilst being less aggressive. A neutralising agent was then sprayed onto the surface to prevent the chemical from continuing to process. It was then left to air dry with the windows open, allowing for a good circulation of air.
About Veronica, Conversation Volunteer
I am a second-year student studying for a BA Conservation of Cultural Heritage at the University of Lincoln.
As part of my study, I am required to do a 12-week placement within the Conservation sector. I chose to do my placement at The Historic Dockyard Chatham, as I’d previously done a week’s placement in sixth form and thoroughly enjoyed it. This experience inspired me to pursue a career path in Conservation.
Whilst on my placement, my aims were not just to partake in interventive conservation but to understand the heritage sector, gaining knowledge of different departments within a historic site like this.
Working at the Dockyard
Overall, this experience has given me insight into restoration projects and working within historical buildings and building sites.
My knowledge of other heritage careers has been expanded, something that I appreciate as a student aspiring to have a role within the heritage sector, particularly with collections and building care.
Thank you to the Historic Houses Foundation for its kind support of the project.
You can read more about the Commissioner’s House project on our website.
To explore more Commissioner’s House conservation content, you can visit the following blogs:
