Featured Videos
- John Maine RA talks about aesthetics and design of the Cosmati Pavement
- An introduction to the re-building and decoration of Henry III 13th Century Abbey by Prof Paul Binski
- How did Westminster Abbey approach the project?
- Dr Ruth Siddall: Analysis of the Mortars
- Dr Richard Mortimer explains what the four inscriptions mean.
- The locations of the four inscriptions in the pavement.
- How decisions were made and how the Cosmati Steering group worked.
- How and why the pavement was recorded and the various aspects of technology needed to support the recording.
- What was found beneath the surface of the pavement, including the results of the Ground Penetrating Radar Survey (GPR)
- Excavation of a cement repair
- The various techniques used to clean the pavement.
- Professor Warwick Rodwell: Design construction part 1
- Professor Warwick Rodwell: Design construction part 2
- The processes that lead up to beginning the conservation project
- The role of the Cosmati Steering Group
- Valerie Humphrey, Director, Westminster Abbey Foundation talks about the funding of the project.
- The glass and its use in the pavement and wider a field.
- Dr Ruth Siddall discusses the primary mix stones and classic patterns of Cosmati work.
- Dr Ruth Siddall discusses the geology of the pavement including the restoration stones.
- Diana Heath and Vanessa Simeoni talk about the cleaning and analysis of the metal inscription.
- Microscopic examination of the inscription.
- The use of glass in the Westminster Retable.
- The techniques used to repair the transparent glass.
- The conservation and repair of the opaque glass elements in the Cosmati pavement.
- How new glass was re-introduced into the pavement.
- The excavation of glass fragments in the pavement.
- The opaque glass repair strategy.
- The ethics of the conservation project.
- Laser cleaning of the tomb tops.
- The Poultice clean
- The surface coatings trials and the technique used to wax the pavement.
- The surface coatings trials and the technique used to wax the pavement.
- Stone conservation students demonstrate how the cement was removed.
- The Mason documents the methods used to re-place the Purbeck Marble, from splitting the raw block, to bedding the new section into the pavement.
- The Mason documents the methods used to re-place the Purbeck Marble, from splitting the raw block, to bedding the new section into the pavement.
- The process of applying lime mortar repairs.
- Painting conservation students from the Courtauld Institute of Art tone-in the lime mortar repairs.
- John Crump (Senior Mason) explains the techniques used to recreate the missing pattern using templates taken from the pavement.
- What is lime and how lime mortars were made.
- Bedding the newly cut stones
- How the new stones were finished off.
- Conclusion to bedding of the new stones
- Repairs to the yellow limestone.
- Repairs to the yellow limestone.
- The process of grouting the stones in the pavement.
- Micro Pointing
- Replacing lost tessarae
- An examination of the construction layers of the original pavement through one of the excavations.
- Excavation around the central roundall
- How the pavement was mapped and the work recorded.
- Cosmati Pavement trailer
Introduction
IntroductionThe Cosmati pavement in front of the High Altar at Westminster Abbey, an intricate thirteenth century mosaic floor, lay hidden under carpet to protect its fragile surface, away from public view for over a hundred years until a two-year restoration project by the Abbey brought it back to life..
Conserving the pavement
Conserving the pavementCenturies of dirt and grime were painstakingly removed by a team of conservators to reveal the brilliant inlaid floor. A major challenge was how the team could use a minimum amount of intervention to stabilise the floor enough so it could be brought back into regular use..
The films
The filmsThe Abbey commissioned over 40 films to follow the progress of the project. Featuring all elements of the work from start to finish and interviewing key experts about the history of the pavement, its significance and the conservation techniques involved, the films offer a unique insight into the restoration of this medieval masterpiece..