Join the director of Mareva Conservation and Conservator / Restorer Veronika Vlková to learn more about the conservation project in the All Souls College Antechapel, the talk will take place in the Antechapel and will be followed by refreshments in the Great Quad.

Commencing in 2011, this project involved conserving thirty-three historically significant monuments to preserve them for future generations. The project was completed in 2022.

Investigations, research and tests that revealed the monuments suffered various structural and surface issues. These included loose, damaged or missing stone sections, damaged polychromy or surface soiling. The issues varied considerably due to the variety of materials the monuments are made from, their surface finishes (monochrome, polychrome or gilded) and their age. Inspections revealed that all the monuments’ horizontal surfaces were covered with a historical layer of soiling consisting of soot from candles, airborne particles, and dust.

Underpinned by years of knowledge and experience, Mareva Conservation proposed using lasers
(specially developed by Lynton Lasers for conservation purposes) to safely remove the soiling. This proved successful, including on the vulnerable alabaster surfaces which remained intact. Surface cleaning of all the monuments was undertaken in stages using different dry and wet
conservation methods. 

The project was awarded with an OPT award in 2023.