Repairs to the decorative corbels at Albert Hall Mansions
Restoration Project
This mansion block is next to The Albert Hall in Kensington. It dates from 1882 and was designed by the architect Richard Norman Shaw (1831-1912) The decorative corbels under the balcony are constructed from TLB red rubbers and hide an RSJ that provides the structural support for the balcony. The poor condition of the corbels was noted in 2002 by Mike Stock, an English Heritage architect who reported ‘poor detailing of the balcony ‘drip’ allowed water to run over the balcony front and into the joint between the underside of the balcony, and the top of the brackets. This resulted in corrosion of both the supporting joists and the upper cramp, with inevitable oxide ‘jacking’ causing serious damage to the gauged work…’
Further information about Albert Hall Mansions and the use of reinforcement in gauged work can be found in Lynch (2007) The History of Gauged Brickwork.
Repairs to the decorative corbels at Albert Hall Mansions
Restoration Project
This mansion block is next to The Albert Hall in Kensington. It dates from 1882 and was designed by the architect Richard Norman Shaw (1831-1912) The decorative corbels under the balcony are constructed from TLB red rubbers and hide an RSJ that provides the structural support for the balcony. The poor condition of the corbels was noted in 2002 by Mike Stock, an English Heritage architect who reported ‘poor detailing of the balcony ‘drip’ allowed water to run over the balcony front and into the joint between the underside of the balcony, and the top of the brackets. This resulted in corrosion of both the supporting joists and the upper cramp, with inevitable oxide ‘jacking’ causing serious damage to the gauged work…’
Further information about Albert Hall Mansions and the use of reinforcement in gauged work can be found in Lynch (2007) The History of Gauged Brickwork.
Despite the deteriorating condition of the building it was not until 2012 that a London based contractor secured the main contract to make improvements to the exterior. Restoration contractors Rosewood Ltd employed Georgian Brickwork, through Kent Conservation & Restoration Ltd, as their specialist contractors to carry out the repair and replacement of decorative corbels underneath the balcony. Georgian Brickwork were asked to take on this aspect of the job to ensure that the repairs met the required high standard of conservation workmanship.
Work Undertaken
The Georgian Brickwork team were initially tasked with the challenge of replacing one corbel that was deemed beyond repair. Charles Reilly visited the site and made a template. The bricks were ordered from Lambs brickmakers, then Charles hand rubbed each brick in his workshop, to recreate an exact replica of the original corbel.
Once back onsite he reinstated the corbel and rubbed it down in situ to finish it. The positive impact of his workmanship was immediately noted, and a decision was made to replace a further eight damaged corbels. For expediency and cost efficiency the subsequent eight corbels were cut and rubbed by Lambs before being delivered to the site. The Georgian Brickwork team then reinstated all eight arches and returned at a later date to rub them down and finish them prior to the scaffolding being removed.
