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Survey and Recording of Historic Interiors,
Recommendations on Cleaning of Stone Facade

Holborn Town Hall, London

Holborn Town Hall was completed as an extension to Holborn Library (1894) in 1908, and they share a stone façade on High Holborn. The Town Hall and Library are in the process of re-development into office accommodation. Ingram Consultancy has carried out survey work and provided technical advice to satisfy conditions of planning consent for the development. Advice was given on cleaning of the principal Ancaster and Portland stone façade and a detailed cleaning specification produced.

One condition of planning consent for the development was the recording of the interiors of the buildings, which are jointly listed grade II. Ingram Consultancy carried out the survey and recording of the interiors, including an investigation of the original decorative schemes. Analysis of the historic paint samples was carried out by historic paint analyst Catherine Hassall.

Survey of the interiors coupled with analysis of paint samples found that the interiors of the Town Hall are relatively intact, complete with original joinery and plasterwork. The Library has been more substantially altered and evidence of the paint schemes was more disturbed and difficult to interpret. It was possible to establish the original paint scheme for the Town Hall, which featured the same soft, pale coloured finishes in the principal public rooms - the "Assessment Room", the Council Chamber and entrance hall. The colours in the Library were utilitarian in contrast. The Library was re-decorated when the Town Hall was built, and white distemper was used extensively with a contrasting brown at dado level.

Project Architect: Christian Garnett Associates

Client: Bee Bee Developments Ltd

Ingram Consultancy Limited
Tel: +44 (0) 1747 820 170 - Fax: +44 (0) 1747 820 175
e-mail: enquiries@ingram-consultancy.co.uk

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