His memorial was disassembled and carefully rebuilt by Minerva conservation who then called upon me to restore the lettering. I first carefully pencilled over the extant lettering, then using a fine tipped chisel (2mm and 4mm depending on size of letter) and a zinc alloy dummy (letter cutters 'mini-mallet'), re cut the entire inscription, going over what was already there, deepening the cut and sharpening up the outside line of each letter. Finally a coat of paint was given to restore the letters to their original legibility. I used a weatherproof enamel paint, a very dark grey, so as not to look too stark, as black would tend to.
 |
| Granville Sharp's Portland stone tomb, repaired and restored before the inscription was re cut |
There was a great deal of debate as to whether this would entail 'over-restoring' the tomb, but in this particular instance it was deemed appropriate owing to the important historical significance of Granville Sharp and his contribution to the abolition of the slave trade, and the fact that the tomb is a popular destination for local school outings. Quite simply the pupils needed to be able to read the inscription. I worked in situ for a week, and enjoyed the peace and quite of this gorgeous churchyard in the heart of London. Back breaking work though, working so close to the ground!
 |
The re cut inscription is barely visible, but the painted letters bring the inscription back to its full glory  The completed inscription  |
No comments:
Post a Comment