Somerset House
Styles Façade Solutions (formerly Thomann-Hanry®) delivered a landmark restoration project at Somerset House, combining specialist heritage facade cleaning, and external façade restoration to restore the South Wing’s neoclassical grandeur. Working scaffold-free from mobile hydraulic platforms, our non-abrasive Façade Gommage cleaning process safely removed decades of dirt and grime from the façade, making it ideal for sensitive heritage building cleaning projects. Despite severe winter storms and challenging site access, our flexible approach ensured the venue remained open and visually impressive throughout the works.
Following cleaning, our specialists carried out extensive heritage stonemasonry repair, including the restoration and replacement of window surrounds, balusters, and decorative stonework. The project also included expert redecoration of monumental windows and comprehensive leadwork repair, alongside discreet bird protection measures.
By avoiding intrusive scaffolding, we preserved the building’s appearance while delivering a high-quality restoration that safeguarded one of London’s most significant historic landmarks for future generations.
Solutions provided
Styles Façade Solutions (formerly Thomann-Hanry®) was engaged to clean this grand Portland stone façade at Somerset House, London. Streaks of dark biological staining and grime cover the colonnade, carved heraldic crest, and archway, illustrating the weathered condition of the stonework before the Façade Gommage cleaning process began.
RENAISSANCE AT SOMERSET HOUSE: THE ART AND CRAFT OF RESTORATION
Situated just to the east of Waterloo Bridge and built on the site of a Tudor palace belonging to the Duke of Somerset, the four-wing, neoclassical grandeur of Somerset House was designed by Sir William Chambers in 1776, with construction completed in 1780. Inspired by Chambers’ attachment to Palladian architectural principles, Somerset House is defined by a ‘giant order’ of pilasters and engaged columns spanning the piano nobile and mezzanine.
The complex is elegantly arranged around a large interior court, with two narrow lateral courts. Further Victorian outer wings were added in 1831 and 1856. Until the construction of the Victoria Embankment in the late 1860s, the River Thames lapped against the South Wing, where three great arches enabled boats to access landing places within the building.
The grade I listed Somerset House was originally designed as one of London’s first public buildings to exclusively house government and educational institutions, such as the Royal Academy and the Society of Antiquaries. Today, this iconic landmark is an important creative hub – and home to some of the city’s most celebrated names in the arts, from the National Youth Orchestra and the British Fashion Council to the Courtauld Gallery and Institute.
Styles Façade Solutions (formerly Thomann-Hanry®) was engaged to clean this classical Portland stone façade. The Styles Façade Solutions crane with cleaning cabin attached reaches up to the balustraded parapet and decorative urns, its shrouded platform positioned at the upper storey, capturing the Façade Gommage cleaning process in progress.
A DELICATE CLEANING AND RESTORATION
As a showcase for the future of building restoration, few structures can rival Somerset House. Through a combination of meticulous stonework, painstaking redecoration and our scaffold-free, non-abrasive Façade Gommage cleaning technique, Styles Façade Solutions (formerly Thomann-Hanry®) building restoration specialists have restored the spectacular South Wing to its original neoclassical splendour.
As a highly sought-after venue for summer events, it was vital that restoration took place during the winter months. During this period, the site was hit by three massive storms. Under such inclement conditions, the advantages of a scaffold-free system were more self-evident than usual. While traditional scaffolding can become a hazard in high winds, our agile platforms remained safe and flexible.
The heritage facade cleaning phase of the project took place over 12 weeks from late autumn into the new year. Carried out from mobile hydraulic platforms, our non-abrasive, solvent-free process is ideally suited to the restoration of delicate historical structures. By projecting fine powders under compressed air across, rather than against, all surfaces, we gently removed decades of accumulated dirt, which was then filtered and recycled.
THE RESULT: A NEOCLASSICAL MASTERPIECE RENEWED
As all machinery had to be lifted from ground to terrace level, setting up for the project presented a series of interesting logistical challenges. However, with extensive experience working in difficult-access sites, our team was able to have its equipment up and running quickly and efficiently.
Once the 1,650m² of Portland stone was cleaned using our patented Façade Gommage process, a specialist heritage facade cleaning technique, our attention turned to the repair and redecoration of the building's imposing windows, characterised by monumental pediments and straight heads.
HERITAGE GRADE, FAÇADE GOMMAGE CLEANING
Our in-house specialist team of expert painters, decorators, stoneworkers and banker masons carried out:
- Masonry restoration: Meticulous repair and replacement of window surrounds and balusters.
- Redecoration: Specialist painting of pedimented windows.
- Leadwork & protection: Expert lead repairs and the installation of discreet bird protection.
Nearly 250 years after the first stone was laid on William Chambers’ imposing Neoclassical masterpiece, Styles Façade Solutions ensured that one of London’s most important public spaces remained open and impressive throughout the restoration process of the South Wing to its former glory.
By avoiding months of intrusive scaffolding, the building’s grand aesthetic was preserved for the public to enjoy even while our specialist teams were at work.
“Works were carried out two years ago on the courtyard façade and the results were tremendous, so we’ve now engaged in a further programme of works with Styles Façade Solutions to complete the remaining façades. Not having to use a scaffold on the building really influenced our decision to go with Styles Façade Solutions. It makes the work much more flexible than having a big scaffold. In the conservation world, we must embrace new technologies. Façade Gommage is a sophisticated departure from traditional methods, and I think it’s very important, like the rest of the world, that we move forward with these innovations.”
Mick Figg, Head of Buildings, Somerset House
See the links below for more examples of the results Styles Façade Solutions® (formerly Thomann-Hanry®) can deliver for your business.
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