Practical Building Conservation: Stone

This volume, Stone, considers the wide variety of historical uses, from simple masonry walling through to elaborate carving and decoration. The book considers why stone decays or fails and how to assess and understand the causes, before concentrating on the practical methods of treatment, repair and maintenance.

Contents: About this book; Using these books; Part I Materials and History of Use: Stone building in England; Working and finishing stone; Architectural stone conservation in England; Formation and properties of stone. Part II Deterioration and Damage: Causes of deterioration; Inherent problems; Structural problems; Environmental problems; Other causes of deterioration. Part III Assessment: Understanding buildings and their condition; Assessing conditions and causes of decay; Diagnosis: determining conservation needs. Part IV Treatment and repair: Project planning and development; Structural repair; Non-structural repair; Cleaning; Desalination; Consolidation; Repair of stone elements; Protective coatings; Part V Care and Maintenance: Care and maintenance; Special topic: conservation of ruins; Appendix; Glossary; Index.

Reviews: '[The Practical Building Conservation volumes] offer considerable information and advice on many aspects of conservation& Great emphasis is placed in all the volumes on making the reader familiar with the material in question, giving them as much information and direction as possible to allow them to understand what they are dealing with & gives a comprehensive hands on approach; solutions are found, methods described and practical tips freely given. Should be kept on the bookshelf within reach of most practising professionals in the field' - Jane Jones-Warner RIBA SCA AABC IHBC, Member RIBA Conservation Group.

Notes on Volume Editors & Contributors

Volume Editors:

David Odgers and Alison Henry

David Odgers, the main author of this book, is a stone conservator with over 30 years' experience as a practitioner and teacher. He was a founder and later managing director of a leading company specialising in the conservation of masonry buildings, and left to set up his own consultancy providing advice on the care of historic buildings. David is an accredited member of The Institute of Conservation and chair of its Stone and Wall Paintings Section, a consultant to English Heritage, and lectures widely on stone conservation. Alison Henry, who contributed extensively to this book, is a Senior Architectural Conservator in the Building Conservation and Research Team at English Heritage. She was previously a local authority conservation officer; as well as running her own business as a stone conservator, she also lectured on the subject at Weymouth College.

Principal Contributors:

Colin Burns, David Jefferson, Graham Lott, Chris Wood

Colin Burns is a self-employed consultant stone mason who previously worked for English Heritage as a technical advisor and trainer, and now teaches on the conservation masterclasses at West Dean College. David Jefferson is a geologist and chemist who has specialised in finding suitable stone to repair or replace historic fabric. Graham Lott works for the British Geological Survey, where he has built up much of their information base on historic stone and quarries, and is working with English Heritage on a major study of stone resources. Chris Wood, Head of the English Heritage Building Conservation and Research Team, has extensive experience in many aspects of stone conservation and represents English Heritage on the English Stone Forum. Colin Burns, David Jefferson and Graham Lott are all advisors to English Heritage, and the volume editors would like to take this opportunity to thank them for their help and support with this book, as well as the information and images they have so generously provided.

Other Contributors:

Paul Bryan, Seamus Hanna, John Mann, Eric May, Sarah Pinchin, Mark Uggles, Norman Weiss and Clara Willett.

Imprint: Ashgate

Published: March 2012

Extent: 348 pages

Binding: Hardback