1 Derby Gate, Houses of Parliament, Westminster, London: Stonewest

Stonewest were tasked with the extensive cleaning and repairs of the intricate stonework of the building, which included chimneys and carved embellishments, and with the re-instatement of indents, mouldings and profiles to match the originals. With a number of contractors and service providers working on this project, precise and effective collaboration was needed to ensure completion.

Joint inspections with the architect were carried out in order to develop elevation repair schedules. The required cleaning of the delicate stonework then took place using the ThermaTech® super-heated water cleaning system. The team also had to tackle the taking down and rebuilding of the North East chimney, where degradation to the stonework made localised repairs impractical, and the renewal of carved lions’ heads at height, beneath the coping and console brackets along the cornice. Along with the extensive external work, internal cleaning and repair to the 1860s’ granite staircase and walls was also needed.

The building underwent a thorough clean and sensitive repairs by Stonewest. The gallery photos show the impressive results on completion of the work. With help from the use of the ThermaTech® system, the delicate touch that this job required was achieved. Impressively, the team was also able to salvage stone from the North East chimney, using this for all indents to the façades and for the majority of other chimney repairs.