King’s College Chapel on the Strand
In 2018, Plowden & Smith were employed to carry out the conservation of King’s College Chapel on the Strand on behalf of Kirkman and Jourdain Building Contractors.
King’s College Chapel is a Grade I listed 19th century chapel located in the Strand Campus of King’s College London. It was originally designed by Sir Robert Smirke in 1831, although the Renaissance Revival chapel seen today was redesigned by the prominent Victorian Gothic architect Sir George Gilbert Scott in 1864. After over a century of use, the interior decorative woodwork needed considerable rejuvenation.
During treatment our scaffolding supported consolidation of wooden panelling at height.
Floors:
Consolidated friable and damaged sections of the solid oak floors in the central aisle, cleaned the entire floor surface, and reinstated missing sections with carefully matched oak. In two areas, outdated floor sockets were removed, and replica oak tiles were added to match the existing style. Worn black tiles were stained to rejuvenate the floor’s overall appearance. The finished floor was waxed.
Wood panelling:
Painted wood panelling at the rear of the altar was lifting. This was consolidated and cleaned.
Canon Stalls:
Numerous sections of Ebony marquetry were consolidated. All surfaces were cleaned, waxed, and buffed.
Columns:
The ornamental cast structural columns were cleaned back and restored using gold leaf and paint on the bottom half to match the top half.
Challenges
Working at height to consolidate the wood panelling at the rear of the altar required scaffolding to allow access to all levels. Sufficient pressure had to be applied between the panelling and the scaffold tower, and pinning sections to the supporting matrix ensured adhesion at all heights. To avoid delamination of the final floor finish, the original wax floor covering was completely removed.
Our furniture team are specialists in historic wooden interiors from floors, to panelling, to ceilings – if you have a project you would like us to work on email our team at info@plowden-smith.com