Innovations in Historic Architectural Conservation

Andrea Palladio, La Rotonda Architectural detailing, one of the most recognizable buildings of the Italian Renaissance.

Roof structure, free standing King Post truss, Venice

Inspecting conservation work being carried out on stone work St Mark's Square, Venice UNESCO World Heritage site, pollution on Stone work.

Historic Building Conservation Arch Studies from Grand tour sketches of Palladio's St. Giorgio Maggiore’s Church Venice

On the inaugural Historic Building Conservation (FdSc) Foundation of Science Degree, (Distinction) two years full time at Kingston University, with Master craftspeople (see Crafts) under National Experts Peter Lakin UEL, Len Conway Building Crafts College included inspection and remedial work using traditional building crafts skills guaranteeing sympathetically undertaken conservation work, i.e restoring castles in Scotland.

On a visit to Venice, Ca' Foscari University of Venice link Invited to inspect their research into new cleaning and restoration approach to stone work of UNESCO World Heritage Site, Piazza San Marco.

European art collaboration project requested the WebGL VR version link of Palladio's St. Giorgio Maggiore’s Church in Venice to help explain to the monks a proposed art installation.

Eastbury Manor House: Glow installation

Described as a renaissance man similar to Brunelleschi, Filippo who was a Goldsmith and Architect, by Len Conway the Dean of the Building Crafts College, Stratford East London. (see Arch) (see Craft)

Cultural connector Glow 2016 light exhibition at Eastbury Manor House, planetary light installation by Grace Crannis MA RCA, before I helping organise Digital laser building surveyed of Eastbury Manor House by a Team from UEL University of East London to after restoration work.

VR 360 view of Planetary Light Show Glow installation by Grace Crannis Eastbury Manor House VR 360 link

Invited to inspect the Royal Observatory Greenwich, conservation work was carried out to the Roof, Home of Greenwich Mean Time (GMT) Prime Meridian Longitude 0º

Studied with bricklayer working on the restoration of St Pancras International station, home to Eurostar and Renaissance Hotel London.

As a cultural connector helped organise the Digital laser building survey inspection of Eastbury House built 1566-1572, Grade I listed Elizabethan Manor house link by team from Architectural Survey department of UEL after restoration works was carried out.

View over Palladio's St.Giorgio Maggiores Church in Venice

Battersea Powerstation: industrial brownfield site

Approached by the Head of college while studying FdSc, to teach: became member of the IfL Institute for Learning, run a satellite college in the grounds of Battersea Powerstation site link, one of central London’s largest new developments costing £9bn, 19 acres of public space on the south bank of the river Thames.

Delivering Construction Skills training and employment To local residence a requirement on the developer of the Grade II* listed decommissioned coal-fired Power Station, the Project was visited by The Rt. Hon Gordan Brown FRSE the UK labour Prime Minister.

Battersea Powerstation and Electric Boulevard shopping and leisure destination opened in Autumn 2022.

Battersea power-station Turbine Hall photo credit: John Owen Feb 2023

Sri Padmanabhaswamy Hindu Temple

Had the Honor and great pleasure of escorting around central London members of The Travancore Royal family (was the ruling house of the Kingdom of Travancore.) in the southern part of Kerala, India. custodians of the Sri Padmanabhaswamy Hindu Temple.

The Indian Government are building a museum to the history of the temple, which gained international attention with discovery of priceless Gold artifacts in a number of large volts with volts never to be opened, an important religious site and strictly for followers of the Hindu faith.

In 1999 Gordon Brown, the UK Chancellor of the Exchequer, sold approx half of the UK Gold reserve, devaluing the Gold market, costing British taxpayers an estimated £2-7Bn, it was shortly after apartheid in South Africa, making funding changes difficult for their new government who's Gold mines are a major source revenue, see India's governments recent handling of the estimated US$1tn of Gold artifacts at the Sri Padmanabhaswamy Hindu Temple, reported to be opening a museum.

Sri Padmanabhaswamy temple estimated to be 5000 years old, the Sun at Equinox aligns with temple. (see Arch) passing through the openings as a shaft of light.

Temple Procession ready to start from Trivandrum Ananda Padmanabha Swamy Temple in 1930 one of the 108 holy temples dedicated to Lord Vishnu and one of the most Wealthy Temples in the World

St Brides church and Museum of Print making

St Brides church was designed by Sir Christopher Wren in 1672, the St. Brides Foundation trust is the Museum of Print making and inspiration of the iconic tiered Wedding Cake, mentioned the Science Museum was suited to displaying pieces of my pioneering 3D printing, Wedding ring design and manufacturing and industry White Paper on Computer Aided Design for The GOLDSMITHS' Company. (see Eng)

Coincidentally met an ancestor of the engineer who helped build the Guggenheim press, constructed in 1445 seen by many as the most important engineering invention of all time, before the printing press the Holy Bible was hand written in Latin the printing press allowed translation and reproduction, and improved access to Education.

Jewellery industry trends show for many years there was a long decline in weddings, Society rejecting the old systems, We have had past tech bubbles burst and stock markets crashes, with less money going around, weddings have been more basic have been on the increased as people, realise it’s how we treat one another that counts, before COVID marriages on average are lasting longer. (see crafts)

St Brides inspiration to tiered wedding cake and the Print making Museum, holds services for journalists lost in War.

Kenwood House

Having the oldest officially recorded name in Scottish history, decedents of Robert "Riabhach" ("Grizzled") Duncanson who captured and handed over to the Crown for Trial and Execution the Assassins of James I King of Scots in 1437, (note) King James VI of Scotland became King James I of England who in 1604 commissioned the official English translation of the Holy Bible the KJV, and created the first uniformed police force in the World, on the site of the medieval Scottish Embassy, the name stayed Scotland Yard. (see Cybersecurity)

One of the most important legal rulings in history was made by a Scottish judge appointed Lord Chief Justice in 1754 in London who helped transform Britain’s legal system, when he outlawed the transportation of slaves in England across the Oceans in 1772, hoping to have done more in setting the path for the abolishment of slavery. (William Murray and Kenwood House)

Light well in hallway seating area of William Murray home Kenwood House, restored after WWI and donated to the National Trust by the Guinness family housing fine art collection. free entry

Gray’s Inn

The Honourable Society of Gray's Inn:

Graduation to achieve Accredited Chartered Manager AMI Administrative Management Institute. The oldest administrative standard and those for the courts system.

Gray’s Inn has been home to lawyers since before 1388 AD and is today one of the four Inns of Court responsible for the education and training of barristers before and after their Call to the Bar.

Built from reclaimed oak from a the Spanish armada, with portraits hanging of past High Court Judges, and standards of the Courts in Stained class.

The Honourable Society of Gray's Inn, High Courts Judges dinning room

GOLDSMITHS’ Hall

Design and Craftsmanship Exhibited in the Goldsmiths' Craft and Design Council Awards at Goldsmiths' Hall in London. (see Crafts) and technical author for The GOLDSMITHS' Company (see ENG)

Founded in 1327, The Goldsmiths Company is one of the Great Twelve Livery Companies of the City of London, independently keeping Gold Standards since King Henry VIII added Lead to Gold to make himself seam richer, consumer protection for 700 years and continues to support the trade today.

Positioned at the junction of Foster Lane and Gresham Street, north east of St. Paul's Cathedral, the magnificent Hall, opened in 1835, is one of London's hidden treasures.

The Leopard, the Assay Office London, Makers are Legally required to test and Hallmark precarious metals.

Historic Desert homes

Visit to abandoned French Foreign Legion Desert fort in UAE, followed by meeting foreigners connected to the removal of Architectural heritage, including Ornate doors which where being sent abroad to be turned into luxury coffee tables, complained stating their cultural significance and architectural historic importance, the reply was "your calling me a bastard"

French Foreign Legion Fort archeological site

Buckingham palace

Met the master craftsperson tasked with laying dutch metal, 24K gold leaf in the restoration work of Buckingham palace staircase, Queen Elizabeth II took one look at the finished result and requested the work to be finished so as not to look new and garish, a technique was used to artificially age the Gold leaf.

Buckingham palace Staircase

Glasgow School of Art

As a schoolboy studied the life and work of the Scottish architect, designer, water colourist and artist, Charles Rennie Macintosh taking myself off visiting his work from Tea rooms, to Hill House and the carpentry workshops preserving his work across Scotland, my Great Grandfather was the Borough Surveyor for Ayrshire and may well have known him and the Glasgow school and Vienna Secession which Macintosh visited at the time, before shortly being mistakenly arrested for being a Spy by the English on a short stop off to paint on the way back to Scotland. the same region arrested a monkey on suspicion of being a Frenchman.

Had the great pleasure of exploring the Category A listed Glasgow School of Art, over a decade before the fires devastated the masterpiece of Architectural light design, the sculpture studio on the top floor was a unobstructed curved glass canopy capturing daylight from all angles, as a schoolboy told my research was better than they find at degree level. (Historic Environment Scotland: Category A listed Buildings of special architectural or historical interest which are outstanding examples of a particular period, style or building type.)

Charles Rennie Macintosh, cross section of Glasgow School of Art 1909

Buddha Mountain Khao Chi Chan

Invited to Thailand by family of Senior Thai officer, turned down an offer to enter the seedy Patpong market. instead stood among the statues of the Shaolin Styles at Viharnra Sien (Anek Kusala Sala) Chinese Temple.

And looked upon the Khao Chi Chan (Buddha Mountain), at the largest collection of Chinese artifacts outside of China, devout Buddhists touching in reverence the cast metal statues of the Buddha have caused the fine detailed decorative patterns to fade over the centuries making them only visible to the trained eye.

Viharn Sien Chinese Temple

error: Alert: Content is protected !!