Plasterwork & Render
Surveys
Following the ceiling collapse at the Apollo Theatre in 2013 owners and managers of historic buildings have the responsibility to comply with new guidance from The Association of British Theatre Technicians (Guidance Note 20) to ensure all suspended fibrous plaster ceilings are inspected and certified. Working in partnership with Ornate Interiors we form one of only a handful of specialist teams nationwide with the knowledge and expertise to carry out this kind of sensitive investigation.
Ornate Interiors working with Womersleys undertake detailed plaster surveys following Guidance Note 20 but also encompass the inspection of all methods of plasterwork within the building into the report. Historic plaster and its timber supports can be subject to several issues including, insect and fungal attack, rotten timbers, deterioration of hessian/plaster wads, insecure fixings, movement and unsympathetic repairs and alterations. All historic plain and ornate plasterwork should be inspected from above and below by a competent historic plaster specialist working.
Often in association with a structural engineer and a timber treatment specialist. Our reports will be driven by public safety and will identify any areas of distress and include a detailed itemised repair schedule. Once the ceiling is deemed safe, we will issue a ceiling safety certificate which will be reviewed by the local authority along with the venue’s other licence requirements. Our knowledge and expertise to carry out this kind of sensitive investigation has meant we have produced surveys, some repeated every 12 months for Churches, Theatres, Town Halls and Historic Houses including:
- The Exchequer Building Palace Green library, Durham, dating from the 15th century onwards
- Oakwell Hall Birstall, West Yorkshire, 16th & 17th Century Hall and Cross Wing House
- Holy Trinity Church, Sunderland, 1718-1719
- St Andrews Church, Stainland, 1755
- Bethel Chapel, Shelf, Halifax, 1853
- Batley Town Hall, 1853
- All Saints Church, High Walton, 1861-1864
- Skipton Town Hall, North Yorkshire, 1862
- The Old Chapel, Darwen, 1864-66
- Huddersfield Town Hall, 1878
- Morley Town Hall, Leeds, 1885
- Gamble Institute, St Helens, 1896
- Lyceum Theatre, Sheffield, 1899
- Art Picture House, Bury, 1920’s
- The Apollo Hammersmith, London, 1932
