St Michael’s Mount Running Cornice

While working on the exterior decoration at St Michaels Mount we were also asked to take on this really nice little repair inside in the castles famous Chevy Chase Room. One of the oldest parts of the castle, the room dates back to the 1100s and is an amazing tapestry of historical craftmanship over the centuries.

Boardering the room is a 16th century plaster frieze depicting a medieval hunting scene from which the room takes its name. As part of an ongoing conservation and restoration program the south sea facing wall has been stripped of its modern paints and later cement render which has been causing the frieze to deteriorate and replaced in lime plaster, and a 1950s fibrous cornice section we have replaced with traditional in-situ run lime plaster. Counter lathing the oak wall plate to provide a key, coats of haired lime putty plaster are built up and run off using a wooden running mould which has the original profile cut out from zinc plate. The final smooth top coat is of pure lime putty and plaster of paris. These methods and materials have been used for centuries in the production of ornate plasterwork.

Main contractor: Cornish Heritage Builders.

Architect: MRDA Architects