Picture Gallery for the Whitbourne Reredos Restoration project
Displayed here is a collection of photographs showing the
reredos in some detail, the problems it suffers, and the progress of
the restoration work.
In each case, a miniature photo is shown here. A larger version of each picture can be viewed by clicking on it.
Use these links to jump to the area of interest:
Before the start of restoration:
General view of the reredos in St John the Baptist church, Whitbourne:
View of left and right sides, with wall tiles under protective covering:
 
Two views showing tiles separating from the wall:
 
Two views of cracks in the main reredos panel:
 
Dismantling the reredos side panels
Chiselling out the moulding prior to removal:
Two views showing the east wall after removing the side panels:
 
Side panel sections ready for transport to workshops:
 
Preparing main panel for removal
The side panels having gone, the main panel was covered with an acetate sheet:
The acetate sheet was marked with red lines to show cracks in the opus sectile
parts, green areas identify chips, black lines show main outlines plus
some mosaic detail, and annotations show main coloured areas (B for
blue, P for purple etc.):
  
The panel was covered with a cloth glued onto the surface:
 
These pictures show further stages of the panel's removal...
Pulyurethane foam was gluedto the panel. Note the emergency central
support under the alabaster tiles where they started to fall away:
Scaffold was to provide a working height, and support for the final removal:
Aluminium honeycomb glued to polyurethane foam to provide extra support:
This picture shows a close-up of the support layers, with the
panel (face down) on top, then the glued fabric, then the polyurethane
foam, and the aluminium honeycomb at the bottom:
Finally, the main panel is removed ready for transportation to the workshops:
This picture shows the rough state of the wall where the side panels have been removed:
Re-pointing the east wall with lime mortar
 
Conservator Vanessa Davis's dog Archie keeps an eye on her, when not distracted by the rector:
Work in progress at the conservators' workshop
The first picture shows the rear of the main panel covered in
a parting layer prior to being attached to the alluminium. This
'weaker' join will allow for removal of the panel from the alluminium
at some time in the future should it be necessary, and is in fact a
'classic' industrial process. Vanessa and Brian are working on the side
panels in the background.
The second picture is of the first part to be near completion, the work
is mounted on the alluminium with a few minor repairs and additions to
be done, though the top right hand corner mosaics amount to over 100
pieces to be correctly positioned!
  Look again at the un-restored pictures to see where this panel belongs.
Side Panels start to be reinstalled
These pictures show the situatation at 23rd November, with some of the side panels replaced:
 
 
Re-installation almost complete
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