The first phase of conservation works to the chapels at the
iconic Tintern Abbey has begun, Cadw has announced.
Tintern Abbey is one of Cadw's finest monuments with its ancient
ruins standing on the banks of the River Wye. Cadw's specialist
masons have worked on the Abbey for the last forty years to
conserve it for future generations to enjoy. There have been many
campaigns to address the deterioration of the stone due to hotter
summers and wetter winters, as well as original stones being put
in the wrong way.
With the completion of scaffolding, conservation work at Tintern
Abbey has started and includes brushing off loose and flaking
stonework to expose sound underlying surfaces.
Loose mortar will be removed from the joints and vegetation
carefully picked out so as not to leave any roots. Fragile stones
will be consolidated using a weak, lime-rich mortar before they
are pinned together and then back to the surrounding masonry. The
old copper straps – originally designed to hold stones in place –
have decayed so will be removed once the new pins are in place.
The masons wrap the completed work in wetted hessian to try and
control the drying out of the new mortar.
Cadw appointed Ferrier Hart Thomas and David Odgers Conservation
to survey, provide design information and specify in detail the
works stonemasons need to carry out. The extensive survey took
almost a year to complete and included archaeological
investigation of the floors within the church and directly
outside its walls.
The works are being carried out by Grosvenor Construction Ltd, a
specialist conservation contractor from north Wales who have
recently completed the exciting redevelopment project at Kings
Gate, Caernarfon Castle.
Gwilym Hughes, Head of Cadw, said:
“For nearly 900 years the abbey has been welcoming worshippers,
wealthy patrons and visitors to this tranquil location, and once
again it requires some attention.
“It's fantastic to see this work beginning so generations to come
can enjoy this iconic historic site.”
This is the first of five phases of conservation works. You can
follow its progress through the Tintern Abbey conservation
timeline and on social media.
