DJ Cooper Building Conservation for Castle Combe, Wiltshire

One of Wiltshire's true beauty spots, the delightful village of Castle Combe has been called "The prettiest village in England", and it remains a haven for artists, who come to paint the attractive cottages and peaceful riverside views. Castle Combe was the setting for the original Dr Doolittle film. It also has a very historic motor racing circuit, which hosts international events to this day. You could say that Castle Combe is an area of contrasts, based on that evidence. On one hand, the sleepy English village and on the other, the vibrant, international sporting arena.<br /><br />With historic buildings in and around the town, some national monuments, some still in use, owned privately or by the local council, we often find ourselves called on in the Castle Combe area to ensure that when the grime from traffic, bird fouling, general day to day soiling or even graffiti is removed from a treasured building, there is no damage to the often delicate stonework beneath.<br /><br />From removal of old paint for a domestic redecoration project, or the intricate cleaning of stone work in a cathedral using the poultice method, you will find that wherever you are in Castle Combe or Wiltshire, you will get a quick response, highly competitive quotation and thorough cleaning from DJ Cooper. Our number is shown above, or if you prefer to send us an email, simply click in the header of any page.

Photo from Featured Project near Castle Combe, Wiltshire
Torc Cleaning of Stone Capitals - Before Cleaning
This sequence of three images shows these weathered stone capitals before (showing carbon tarnish), during Torc cleaning, and after Torc cleaning.<br /><br />They arrived in fairly poor condition, being heavily tarnished with carbon from airborne pollution over many years. The surfaces were also fairly fragile, so any aggressive cleaning techniques were out of the question. <br /><br />The Torc system was chosen for this job as it cleans thoroughly yet gently, using a combination of air pressure, a little water and some granulate abrasives. The key to success is in choosing the right abrasive medium for the type of stone in question, from the options of calcite, dolomite and util. <br /><br />As shown in the final (after image) the carbon has been effectively removed while retaining the patina of the stone.<br /><br />If you face similar cleaning challenges and need to preserve the material to be cleaned, give our specialist team a call, or click in the header of any page to send us an email. We will be happy to quote for any or all of your building conservation needs.