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Conservation work to see lime harling reinstated at Provand's Lordship

February 18 2022

Conservation work to see lime harling reinstated at Provand's Lordship

The A-listed Provand's Lordship, the oldest house in Glasgow, is to have its original lime harling and limewash coating reinstated to protect its crumbling stonework.

John Gilbert Architects have been enlisted by Glasgow Life to implement fabric repairs recommended by Historic Environment Scotland, including replacement of existing windows and reintroducing its harled coating, removed in the early 1900s. This has exposed stonework to significant erosion, exacerbated by misguided cement pointing.

The full package of repairs includes renewal of cast-iron rainwater goods, repointing a crowstep gable and the installation of solid redwood sash and case windows.

In a conservation statement, the architects said: "Whilst the harled finish was removed in the early 1900s, evidence for its existence remains in photographs, paintings and in traces of the original finish on the stonework. Unfortunately, evidence of the lighter colour that was a constant to the upper floors is minimal, and largely that which survives is evidence of the terracotta red which was added to the ground floor later when these were in use as commercial units.

"We believe that reinstating a lime harling as a sacrificial coating will help preserve the original stonework below for future generations."

Dating from around 1470 the building has been subject to repeated major works through the ages but was originally built as nine apartments, served by an external timber stair to the rear and possibly thatched. 

The application of a light harled finish will restore the building to its pre-1919 condition
The application of a light harled finish will restore the building to its pre-1919 condition

1 Comment

Nairn's Bairn
#1 Posted by Nairn's Bairn on 21 Feb 2022 at 14:41 PM
Great, but I hope they carry out a measured survey before the work.

Last time I looked Castle Street had a reasonable slope to it, and the proportions of some of those windows look different from the supplied photo. For example the ground floor right windows look a lot closer to the ground in reality, and the proportion of the window to the right of the downpipe is more vertical in the photo, etc.

It's an A-listed building, so these will end up being a reference point in the future - could HES not stretch to taking a few site levels?

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