Heritage

Andreas War Memorial Restoration

Andreas, Isle of Man

The finished memorial in weathered terracotta render, with Andreas church behind it under a blue sky Looking up the rendered shaft to the cross, with a pointed motif recessed into the terracotta The cross head finished in terracotta render, seen from below under the scaffold roof

Project Details

Location Andreas, Isle of Man
Year Completed 2014
Client Type Heritage Organisation
Project Type
Heritage
Finishes & Techniques Used
Render Systems

Over 30ft of memorial, finished in a weathered terracotta render.

The Andreas Church Memorial is over 30ft high, and it required detailed planning and various stages of work to complete the full restoration of the stone work.

The memorial is finished in a weathered terracotta render, chosen to sit in keeping with the church.

The crosses

Certain details, such as the decorative crosses, had to be reworked. Rather than let them disappear under the new work, they have been recessed into the render, which has made an attractive feature of them. You can see them cut cleanly either side of the memorial plaques on the base, and the pointed motifs picked out the same way further up the column.

(Featured Image © & courtesy of Manx Scenes Photography)

Project Gallery & Information

The top of the rendered shaft with a pointed motif recessed into the terracotta, cross arms above
The motif cut back into the render rather than lost under it
The cross head finished in terracotta render, seen from below under the scaffold roof The cross arms in finished terracotta render, every edge kept sharp
Edges held sharp right the way round
Close view along a rendered cross arm, showing the even texture of the terracotta finish The rendered capital with four point crosses recessed into it, the section below still to be finished
Crosses recessed into the render, not stuck on the face of it
Recessed four point crosses in the terracotta render on the capital, seen from the scaffold The finished capital square on, with a recessed cross on each face
The same detail repeated on every face
The Second World War plaque set in the terracotta render, with a slim cross recessed either side of it
A cross cut either side of the 1939 to 1945 plaque
The finished plinth in terracotta render, with a plaque and a recessed diamond either side

The unveiling of the monument has begun.

A Venetian Plaster Company man working mortar into the bare cross before any render goes on
Making the old cross good first
The cross with its first terracotta coat on, two of the team working the arm below Rendering the shaft below the cross arms, working to a rule held against the edge
Working to a rule so the lines stay true
Setting out the shaft under the cross, with mesh and bead in place ready for render The capital in grey base coat with the four point motifs already formed up in terracotta
Motifs formed first, the rest of the capital still in base coat
The original red stone plinth being made good, the shaft above already rendered terracotta
Old repairs cut out of the stone base
The stone plinth stripped back and patched, with the plaques left in place A corner of the stone base cut right back to sound material before rebuilding
The worst corner, taken back to something solid
Mortar work around the recessed diamonds on the stone base, mixing tub alongside Timber shuttering fixed to the rebuilt corner of the base while the mortar sets
Shuttered up while it goes off
Base coat on the plinth with formers taped over the diamonds to hold their shape
Formers keep the diamonds true while the coat goes on
Floating base coat onto the plinth by hand, working up to the plaque The plinth in base coat with the diamonds cut through, waiting on the top coat Base coat worked around the plaques, the shaft above already in its terracotta finish
Base coat below, finished render above
Wet terracotta render laid up to a masked off plaque, with a cross formed either side
The crosses formed in as the render goes on
The plinth in finished terracotta render, plaques still masked off The top coat on the plinth with the masking still taped over the plaques
Top coat on, masking still to come off
The memorial before work started, weathered and pale, standing on its stepped red stone base
How it stood before we started (Image © & courtesy of James Robertson)
The memorial sheeted in and scaffolded from the ground up, the church tower alongside
Sheeted and scaffolded, all 30ft of it
THE FINISH ▼
The top of the rendered shaft with a pointed motif recessed into the terracotta, cross arms above
The motif cut back into the render rather than lost under it
The cross head finished in terracotta render, seen from below under the scaffold roof The cross arms in finished terracotta render, every edge kept sharp
Edges held sharp right the way round
Close view along a rendered cross arm, showing the even texture of the terracotta finish The rendered capital with four point crosses recessed into it, the section below still to be finished
Crosses recessed into the render, not stuck on the face of it
Recessed four point crosses in the terracotta render on the capital, seen from the scaffold The finished capital square on, with a recessed cross on each face
The same detail repeated on every face
The Second World War plaque set in the terracotta render, with a slim cross recessed either side of it
A cross cut either side of the 1939 to 1945 plaque
The finished plinth in terracotta render, with a plaque and a recessed diamond either side
THE UNVEILING ▼

The unveiling of the monument has begun.

THE CRAFT ▼
A Venetian Plaster Company man working mortar into the bare cross before any render goes on
Making the old cross good first
The cross with its first terracotta coat on, two of the team working the arm below Rendering the shaft below the cross arms, working to a rule held against the edge
Working to a rule so the lines stay true
Setting out the shaft under the cross, with mesh and bead in place ready for render The capital in grey base coat with the four point motifs already formed up in terracotta
Motifs formed first, the rest of the capital still in base coat
The original red stone plinth being made good, the shaft above already rendered terracotta
Old repairs cut out of the stone base
The stone plinth stripped back and patched, with the plaques left in place A corner of the stone base cut right back to sound material before rebuilding
The worst corner, taken back to something solid
Mortar work around the recessed diamonds on the stone base, mixing tub alongside Timber shuttering fixed to the rebuilt corner of the base while the mortar sets
Shuttered up while it goes off
Base coat on the plinth with formers taped over the diamonds to hold their shape
Formers keep the diamonds true while the coat goes on
Floating base coat onto the plinth by hand, working up to the plaque The plinth in base coat with the diamonds cut through, waiting on the top coat Base coat worked around the plaques, the shaft above already in its terracotta finish
Base coat below, finished render above
Wet terracotta render laid up to a masked off plaque, with a cross formed either side
The crosses formed in as the render goes on
The plinth in finished terracotta render, plaques still masked off The top coat on the plinth with the masking still taped over the plaques
Top coat on, masking still to come off
THE CANVAS ▼
The memorial before work started, weathered and pale, standing on its stepped red stone base
How it stood before we started (Image © & courtesy of James Robertson)
The memorial sheeted in and scaffolded from the ground up, the church tower alongside
Sheeted and scaffolded, all 30ft of it

Finishes & Techniques Used in This Project

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