Issue 35 autumn 2022 - Flipbook - Page 54
Restoration of Grade I
listed Columns at St Johns
College, Oxford
Szerelmey Stonework and Restoration
stonework, with Historic England citing Richard Maude,
Hugh Davis and Robert Smith as the masons, and John
Jackson, Anthony Gore and Harry Acres as the carvers,
and are supported on a series of arches and free-standing
columns. They are baroque in style and are a classic
and rare example of this style still remaining in the UK,
making them of particular historic importance.
Szerelmey was appointed alongside Beard Construction
and working with Wright and Wright Architects to carry
out extensive repair, restoration and replacement work to
the Grade I listed Laudian Library extension in the
Canterbury Quadrangle. This follows on from the
successful delivery of a new package of works creating a
new library and study centre, artwork walls and interior
and exterior paving – completed by Szerelmey in 2019.
The Canterbury Quadrangle is one of the most famous,
historic and beautiful of Oxford’s buildings.
Each of the colonnades consist of 8 free standing columns
approximately 2.7m apart and 6 half columns, and are
constructed from load bearing Headington stone with the
original columns in Bletchingdon marble. They measured
2100mm tall x 349mm diameter in the centre, reducing
to 308mm diameter at the top taking account of the
entasis. The cloisters behind are laid out with a mixture
of Purbeck and Sandstone. Over the years the structure
has been subject to many restorations and underpinning
works including five full column replacements in 1905
when Portland stone was used.
St John’s College was founded in 1555 with its original
library amounting to a collection of around 150 mostly
theological, philosophical and legal books. Over the
intervening years, the College and Libraries have slowly
evolved to present a fascinating collection of different
English architectural styles – a mini potted history from
the 16th century to the present day.
The Laudian Library which forms the eastern range of the
Canterbury Quadrangle was built between 1631-36 by
William Laud, the then Archbishop of Canterbury, who
was later beheaded in 1645. It is fronted by a striking
loggia with elaborate centre piece, possibly by the sculptor
Nicholas Stone (1586-1647). The west side of the Quadrangle mirrors the east and has a similar loggia and centre
piece; on both elevations the frontispiece rises to three
storeys with decorative niches and figurines of Charles Ist.
Both elevations/colonnades feature highly decorative
Recently it was identified that the columns were
beginning to fail structurally and that a cosmetic repair
would be insufficient. Following extensive surveys and
ground condition test excavations, immediate works
involved installing steel collars to 5 seriously cracked or
split colonnade columns and substantial steel temporary
props installed to support the arches. Szerelmey were
engaged to design the temporary works to allow the
removal and replacement of the colonnade columns and
Below, St Johns College March 2022
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Conservation & Heritage Journal
52