Kimbolton Restoration Ltd

Bronze Lead & Fine Metal Cleaning

Our sincere thanks to Rupert Harris Conservation London on behalf of whom we carried out the following bronze cleaning work.
Above Wellington Arch is "Peace in her Quadriga" one of the the largest bronze sculptures in Europe and estimated to weigh 40 tonnes. It was one of artist and scupltor Adrian Jones most important works and stands on Hyde Park roundabout in London.

A closer view of the sculpture

Closer still you see the detail and the scale of things

Occasionally you find something particularly interesting. We uncovered these names when removing the wax and dirt from the wings of the main figure. They are believed to the men who erected her on this spot.

The model for the young charioteer was Adrian Jones son.

A team of four bronze horses several times life size pull the chariot. Adrian Jones was a qualified veterinarian and excelled at producing equine figures.

Views of the rear of the chariot carrying banners breastplates cannon and other spoils of war.

A wheel of the chariot can be seen covered with fine calcite dust from the cleaning process



The exposed axle of the chariot shows the steel armatures used to brace and strengthen. These needed to be thoroughly cleaned repaired and painted for protection.

This is the inside of "Peace" the Quadriga's main figure. This steel structure supports the bronze figure and needed to be cleaned, repaired and given long term protection with a modern coating system. Squeezing our way up inside we were working in an extremely confined space.

Working on the The London Troops Memorial outside the Bank of England.

The Mai Wan Lion looks pretty fierce,.

This copper Atlas stands at the top of the Royal Observatory in Oxford.

Queen Alexandra's Statue outside St Paul's Cathedral London

The main bronze figure of at the Peace fountain in London

The Burghers of Calais (Les Bourgeois de Calais) by Auguste Rodin.

Many years of hardened wax is gently removed by us.

The sculpture's base patina is carefully revealed and there's no mistaking the name of the artist

It may only be cleaning to us but its clearly an event of some importance as the "Blue Peter" team put in an appearance and Rupert Harris shows Konnie how it's done.



The Clock Tower in Brighton

Brighton's landmark Clock Tower undergoing refurbishment. Our job is to carefully remove all the corrosion from each individual copper leafed tile.

Some sites are just too busy to be able to work around during the day and so work on the War Memorial at Paddington Station which stands immediately adjacent to the First Class lounge was carried out at night.

The memorial following cleaning by ourselves and and re-patination by Main Contractors Rupert Harris Conservation. Our sincere thanks to Rupert for the opportunity to have worked on these projects.

April 16th, 2007 Posted by Phil | Our Photo Gallery | no comments

Photos of Paint Removal


Stone columns forming the entrance to the Harpur Suite Bedford having the paint carefully removed. Tavec was spray applied and left overnight to soften the paint film which was then removed using the DOFF steam system. The following photographs show sections of the landmark "Old Bridge" Hotel in Huntingdon where the brickwork underwent the various stages of paint removal using Strippers "King-Strip" a poultice type alkaline paste.

The material was trowelled on and then covered in thin polythene sheeting to prevent it drying out too quickly. The paste then left to gradually soften the numerous layers of paint and work it's way through to the brickwork. This can take up to 5 days depending on the thickness of the paint film and ambient temperatures.

Daily checks were carried out to see when the poultice had finished working and when it had to some extent dried out it was removed by hand bringing with it the many layers of softened paint.

Residue and surface dirt was removed using the DOFF steam system and where the exposed brickwork was stained by carbon or sulphate deposits it was gently cleaned using the JOS/TORC micro abrasive system.

The result is the building with the brickwork revealed after careful cleaning now with much lower future maintenance costs and appearing as it was originally intended.

Stripping and refurbishing wooden flooring is another service we provide. In this music room we carefully removed the Red Cedar stain that had previously been applied to this solid oak planking and replaced it with a Light Oak finish matching the timber's natural appearance.

April 16th, 2007 Posted by Phil | Our Photo Gallery | no comments

Photos of Cleaning

From garden walls and patios to city centre paving and historic properties we are equally pleased to be asked to clean any of them. Although one example of cleaning stone brickwork or timber is much like another we hope you find this small selection of photos interesting.

Midway stage of removing biological growth dirt and stains from a granite memorial using the DOFF steam system.

This clay pammet and brick floor was cleaned using DOFF and Aquilla steam equipment combined with vacuum recovery equipment. The DOFF cleaning revealed the attractive colours and the floor was then sealed to protect it from future spillages. Note the sealer we used is indescernable and produced a natural appearance.

This Georgian style facade was actually built around 1860 and was an addition to a much older Cambridgeshire house. We gently under-cleaned the brickwork using the JOS/TORC micro abrasive system so as not to leave it looking "new".

A closer view of the JOS/TORC cleaned gault clay buff brickwork

Olney War Memorial part way through the DOFF cleaning process

The War Memorial after cleaning and repairs

Stone and bronze War Memorial at Aldershot showing the various stages of cleaning using DOFF and Flirok. Works on behalf of Rupert Harris Conservation London.

We are equally pleased to be asked to clean your stone patio and use the same careful procedures. This composite stone has previously been pressure washed many times before and is starting to show surface wear. If you are in any doubt ask the paving manufacturer for advice about cleaning their product or contact us and we'll do it for you. Philip Wright - Kimbolton Restoration.

April 16th, 2007 Posted by Phil | Our Photo Gallery | no comments

Photos of Masonry Repairs


A Bath stone front porch entrance before and after cleaning and repairs.

Limestone coping stones were required for this parapet follwed by re-pointing the brickwork using a lime mortar.

Here the brickwork was re-pointed and stone repaired using again using a lime mortar. This followed paint stripping using DOFF and JOS micro abrasive cleaning to remove the carbon staining.

Limestone floor with slate inserts and lots of character that required cleaning and repairs.

Masonry cleaning & repairs carried out on behalf of Main Contractors Castle Builders Ltd.


	The completed front elevation.