Turner Conservatory Restoration

Winner of the An Taisce Ellison award 2014 for Conservation and Restoration

The Turner Conservatory at Rokeby Hall dates back to 1850. It had suffered much deterioration which had greatly accelerated since the winter of 2010/2011. The original upper level curved roof was missing and had been replaced (circa 1955) by a rough triangular structure. The original glass had been replaced by a fibreglass covering on the roof and Perspex panels on the walls. The front wall of the conservatory was in danger of collapsing.

Restoration work was carried out over an 18 month period starting in June 2012 and ending November 2013. The entire structure was carefully mapped. Each component was tagged and photographed. The Conservatory was then completely dismantled and the components removed to the workshop. Wrought iron components, many of them severely rusted, were restored using recycled wrought iron. Cast iron elements which were broken or missing were re-cast. The upper section of the roof which had been missing for an unknown period and for which there was no record was designed and rebuilt using other Turner Conservatories as reference models. The many   components were then cleaned and painted with zinc rich paints and finished with a Turner white topcoat. The Conservatory was then rebuilt onsite and restored to its original grandeur.