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Restoration Completed of Queen’s Stairs
01 Dec 2006
The Crown Estate and Greenwich Foundation in the UK have completed the restoration of the historic Queen’s Stairs on the banks of the River Thames at the Old Royal Naval College, Greenwich. These are the steps over which Admiral Lord Nelson’s coffin was carried before and after his lying in state in the Painted Hall of the Greenwich Hospital in January 1806 prior to the grand river procession that saw his body taken by royal barge to Westminster.
The £160,000 restoration was paid for by The Crown Estate and was commissioned as part of the 200th anniversary celebrations of the Battle of Trafalgar. The skilled stone masonry was performed by David Ball Restoration Ltd, who earlier this year restored Nelson’s Column in Trafalgar Square. The architects were Giles Quarme Associates.
The work has been completed on time and the steps reopened in time for the 201st anniversary of the Battle of Trafalgar on 21 October. Restoration of the steps has formed part of the Greenwich Foundation’s £2 million landscape restoration project for the Old Royal Naval College. The first phase, including the steps and reinstatement of the walkways, has now been completed. Visitors will once again be able to enjoy walking along the Thames path and through the recently reinstated formal lawns and paths of the College, the centrepiece of the Maritime Greenwich World Heritage Site.
The steps have also provided access to the ‘beach’ that appears at low tide, where supervised parties of local school children have taken part in archaeological field trips.
Neil Jacobson of The Crown Estate said, ‘We are very proud to have been a part of this important restoration project, especially as it combines history, craftsmanship and the local community. The Queen’s Stairs are a very important part of our nation’s maritime history and the skilled work of David Ball Restoration Ltd and our partnership with the Greenwich Foundation have been vital to this project’s success.’
Alan Bilham, Project Director of David Ball Restoration Ltd added, ‘This was a very interesting and challenging project, specialist heritage grouting and pointing mortars were thoroughly investigated, tested and successfully used in marine conditions. Also the works had to be meticulously programmed to take into account the ever changing tides.’
MJ Information No: 22506
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