Stunning Mosaic Restoration at Grade I Listed Church

The Victorian mosaic floor at the Grade I listed Church of St Michaels and All Angels, at Ashton-under-Lyme, near Manchester has been painstakingly restored by National Federation of Terrazzo Marble & Mosaic Specialists (NFTMMS) member, Mosaic Restoration.

“This is an example of the supreme craftsmanship of one of the UK’s leading mosaic restoration experts,” said NFTMMS spokesperson Brian James.

At the outset, a survey of the site was carried out to establish the condition of the mosaics and receive recommendations on how best to stabilise and restore the large area of original un-glazed ceramic mosaic.

“Having successfully undertaken a couple of large projects in nearby Manchester, we were able to establish excellent relationships with the Church and the Priest who was very knowledgeable and the main driving force behind the project,” explained Gary Bricknell, Director of The Mosaic Restoration Company.

“We hold good stocks of reclaimed and new materials and our ability to accurately colour match existing tesserae was very important. Having initially carried out some small trial areas, we were able to demonstrate the finished repairs would be almost invisible,” said Gary.

The Mosaic Restoration Company hand-cut, cropped and tumbled all newly fixed material and were able to accurately age the material and use slight variations in tones to achieve a highly satisfactory result.

The company also used an injection consolidation method to stabilise loose and vulnerable sections.

“This is a methodology we have used on a number of projects in the past with great success including at the Albert Memorial, Hyde Park, London, explained Gary Bricknell.

The NFTMMS represents companies which wish to maintain and improve the standards of craftsmanship and technical control on which the industry depends. It includes companies involved in terrazzo, mosaic, marble, granite, limestone and quartz and NFTMMS members freely offer technical advice and assistance with specifications. Visit the website at www.nftmms.co.uk  for more details. For further information please contact:

Gary Bricknell, The Mosaic Restoration Company on 01788 510 000 or email: gary@mosaicrestoration.co.uk
Brian James on 0845 609 0050 or email bjames@nftmms.org
Peter Scaramanga, Pressential on 07768 568960 or email peter.scaramanga@pressential.com