Issue 42 summer 24 web - Flipbook - Page 31
uneconomical, and the decision was taken to regild all
the decorative elements on the Tower. This delicate task
was undertaken with great patience by The English Gilding Company over several months. Approximately 15,000
leaves of 23.5ct transfer gold were meticulously applied
in very difficult conditions.
As well as the restoration work on the Tower, the Our
Tower project involved landscaping works within the
grounds of adjacent Lansdown Cemetery and disused
paddocks beyond. The highlight of this work was the uncovering of the Grotto, previously a tunnel built as part
of Beckford’s Ride, the name for the route from William
Beckford’s home in Lansdown Crescent to the Tower. Excavating the Grotto after it had been hidden for over 100
years was a totally unique and exciting experience for our
small team working over several weeks, first to locate the
top of the Grotto arch and into the Grotto then revealing
and tracing the route of the steps carved into the bedrock.
Whilst the scale and size of the Grotto was known before
the start of the work we did not know the extent of the
steps that would be revealed.
Whilst the extent of the gilding work was too great for
our own team to carry out they did complete the redecoration of the timber structure of the Lantern, Roof and
windows as well as the works inside the Tower and
Museum Rooms. One of our decorators repainted the
walls of the spiral stairs in the Tower, a job he last did as
an apprentice during the previous project in 1999.
The structure of the Lantern of the Tower is made up of
8 panels and posts supporting the cast iron roof above. As
part of the project we had to assess the damage done to
the timber structure by wind and rain over the last quarter
of a century and remove and replace sections beyond repair. This involved dismantling the timber staircase leading to the viewing gallery at the top of the Tower and
temporarily propping the roof structure. All of the new
timber used to replace the old was Accoya, a modern sustainable alternative to traditional hardwoods that is
dimensionally stable and durable even in challenging environments. All of the new joinery for the Lantern repairs
– and across the project – was made in our own joinery
workshop in Bath.
The successful completion of the Our Tower project is a
significant achievement for Emery Brothers, the Bath
Preservation Trust and the design team led by Thomas
Ford and Partners. We are incredibly proud to have been
involved in helping to secure the Tower for the future and
enabling the Bath Preservation Trust to keep telling the
complex story of William Beckford’s life, relationships and
complicity in the transatlantic trafficking of enslaved
people.
Author
Felix Emery
Family Run Contractors Since 1947
We are a family-owned Bath-based contractor with an
excellent track record of delivering complex projects on
time and budget. We are unique in having a large directly
employed workforce which allows us to bring quality and
value to a diverse range of projects, from domestic
extensions and renovations to multi-million pound
engineering schemes.
Recent projects include The Footprint Project at Bath
Abbey, Worlds Away at Dyrham House and Our Tower at
Beckford’s Tower.
www.emery.co.uk
01225 462153
Cotham Church, Bristol
Refurbishment - Heritage - New Build - Design & Build -Joinery
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