Classic Masonry were engaged to conclude the recent significant conservation and restoration initiative for the hall. The work involved the replacement of the mezzanine floor’s highly decorative principal corbel brackets. We were commissioned to undertake the traditional hand-carving of four corbel brackets and their subsequent installation on-site. The Client required a true replica of the carvings and there were some challenging limitations for us to overcome. Access was extremely difficult and also severely restricted due to the building being one of the UK’s primary pipistrel bat habitats. To overcome the constraints, we engaged the services of local company Gridmark to digitally scan the existing corbels to enable 3D modelling. With this information we commissioned a 3D CNC polystyrene model that provided the necessary specifications for the precise reproduction and detailing of the new sandstone corbels. To the best of our knowledge, we believe this is the first time a maquette has been created by this method.
Client: The National Trust