Natural History Museum
Client: Natural History
Principal Contractor: Szerelmey
Architect:
Package Value: £250K
There are few if any buildings that can match the decorative terracotta work synonymous with London’s Natural History Museum, which was designed by Alfred Waterhouse and opened to the public in 1881. When the museum was opened it was described as “a temple of nature” and the “animal’s Westminster Abbey”.
Szerelmey are proud to have undertaken major restoration packages at the museum over the years. Most recently the company carried out extensive cleaning and repairs to the magnificent internal terracotta, and cleaning, repair and replacement to the mosaic tesserae flooring.
This complex job involved the removal of damaged mosaic pieces and their replacement with hand crafted and cut pieces using traditional methods. Szerelmey carried out extensive testing to develop the most efficient cleaning method for the terracotta and flooring with the least impact to the environment, and one suitable to be undertaken while the museum remained in full public service.
