Stowe
White Peak limewash unifies temples and monuments in major restoration.
A MAJESTIC Corinthian arch from nearly 250 years ago has been restored to its former glory at one of the finest landscaped gardens in Europe.
It's one of the most outstanding architectural elements at Stowe, the sweeping 750 acre estate and school near Buckingham. Approached along a 1½ mile tree-lined avenue, the Arch provides an imposing focal point, with a view of Stowe House beyond.
Now the iconic structure boasts a makeover that has restored its original look, thanks to White Peak limewash from Buxton Lime. It's one of several historic temples and monuments undergoing an ambitious restoration, in a project led by the National Trust.
"There has been a rebirth of limewash and it’s very important at Stowe," says the man who specified White Peak, architect Stephen Gee of the Peter Inskip and Peter Jenkins Architects practice. "Stucco, stone and brickwork are unified aesthetically and architecturally by the limewash."
Limewash is one of the earliest forms of paint, used in Britain since Roman times. It provides an inexpensive coating that gives protection and beauty to render, masonry and plasterwork on internal and external walls. As it ages, limewash develops a patina unrivalled by modern paint, and allows the building fabric to breathe.
Buxton Lime's White Peak combines these traditional qualities with the benefits of modern know-how. It's finding a growing market in renovation work. The Stowe restoration represents one of White Peak's greatest challenges, and triumphs.
The Stowe estate was created from the 1680s, originally as the home for the Earls Temple. The legendary Lancelot "Capability" Brown, head gardener from 1741 to 1750, was involved in the landscaping and the construction of several buildings.
Among the other famous monuments finished in White Peak are the Temple of Concord and Victory, the Temple of Venus, the Rotunda, the Doric Arch, Lake Pavilions and the 115-foot Lord Cobham's Pillar which depicts Stowe's first owner in Roman armour. The 60 foot Corinthian Arch was completed in 1767 and the newly limewashed Buckingham Lodges were built by 1805.
A spendthrift duke lost the estate in the 1840s and by the early 20th century, the temples and monuments had begun to show their age. That's thanks in part to the loss of skills and labour following the First World War.
The National Trust began the restoration drive in 1990 after acquisition in 1989. It includes re-roofing, structural repairs, stone conservation, reviving external stucco, and repairs to doors and windows.
"The first part of the investigation was to determine the history of the decorations by scientific research," says Gee. "It was evident that all the buildings had been regularly limewashed until the early 20th century."
"We worked as a team with the paint researcher Catherine Hassall to create the best possible colour match, a mellow Bath stone probably dating from the 16th century. During the 1840s the colour was changed to the orange ochre then in fashion," adds Gee.
White Peak Finest Buxton Limewash is available in white or 24 ready-mixed historical colours. These can be used neat to produce deep and rich period colours, or they can be used as concentrates to produce more delicate tones when mixed with white. The Stowe team came up with a pale ochre limewash, creating a translucent effect that unifies the different substrates of the temples and monuments.
The most recent to get the makeover treatment were the Buckingham Lodges and the Corinthian Arch. Prior to the National Trust becoming involved, the arch had been touched up with non-traditional materials and techniques. Restoration called for repairs to the roof, stonework and stucco.
White Peak was the finishing touch, applied by the National Trust's contractor E Bowman of Stamford. "The application of White Peak went well and it weathered well," says director Paul Gibbons.
Buxton Lime's advanced manufacturing produces a limewash of unparalleled performance. The use of ultrafine particles in the mix means maximum coverage and a brilliant white finish - with minimum stirring.
And the result? Visitors approaching from Buckingham can see the lodges and arch as they were first revealed, all those years ago.
Editors' notes
Buxton Lime, part of Tarmac Ltd's Building Products Division, is the country's largest producer of lime and quality lime products. It has been involved in producing lime in Derbyshire for more than a century. The company's base in Buxton is sited on extensive deposits of limestone of exceptional purity, which produces a limewash of brilliant white.
White Peak is calcium hydroxide suspended in water. As the water evaporates, the calcium hydroxide combines with calcium dioxide in the atmosphere to form calcium carbonate (chalk). The limewash also hardens and bonds to the substrate.
White Peak is normally applied to a porous background such as sandstone, clay bricks or lime plaster. It should not be applied to backgrounds that contain waterproofing materials or to dense impermeable substrates, for example concrete without a suitable primer coat.
It can be applied with a long-haired bristle brush or spray. White peak is available in 1-litre, 5-litre and 10-litre containers.
