40 C O N T E X T 1 2 5 : J U LY 2 0 1 2 methodologies described could equally be applied to smaller buildings or sites. The methodologies were developed as a result of the legacy of neglected historic buildings following the reunification of Germany, but they clearly transfer to other nations and scenarios. The book contains 220 pages of text, forms, tables and some black-andwhite illustrations of case studies. It is aimed at professionals and therefore rightly assumes a prior understanding of building construction, materials, techniques and decay mechanisms. The book is restricted to the administration of maintenance regimes. Klemisch first describes the formulation of maintenance programmes, who would be involved and what their responsibilities would be. He moves on to describe in detail a building maintenance log book, which is divided into two sections. Part 1 deals with user maintenance instructions ‘setting out all the tasks together with the associated documents and information that users are required to perform to comply with their duty-ofcare responsibilities’. Part 2 describes a condition survey spreadsheet model. This section is used for routine and consistent inspections of the building fabric and infrastructure, to identify issues requiring attention to target resources efficiently. The book is precise and highly procedural. I suspect some or all elements would appeal to building managers working in larger organisations. The National Trust is an obvious candidate, although equally managers of working historic buildings such as hospitals and public buildings could find the publication of benefit. Other heritage professionals may find elements of the book useful, although ultimately the book will appeal to a limited niche market. Julian Bagg Pulverised marshmallow Plastering: plain and decorative William Millar and George Bankart, fourth edition, Donhead, 2009, 496 pp, b&w photos and drawings, hardback, ISBN 978 1 873394 878, £46 It seems strangely fitting that the first picture in this book is the magnificent saloon at the lost Coleshill House, Berkshire, the records of which survive in the archive of the National Trust. Nothing is lost in this reprint of the fourth edition of the ‘plasterer’s bible’, which explains how within the history of plaster ‘time is an ingredient in all good work and its substitute difficult to find’. Donhead’s reprint of the first edition, written by William Millar, has been available for some years, but the fourth edition is a different book. It was substantially revised in 1927 by George Bankart, an architect who chose to work as a plasterer in the Arts and Crafts tradition. He brought it up to date with new information and knowledge, adding a number of extra chapters, revising others and omitting some. As a result of his revisions, the book became a bible, not only for craftsman plasterers, but also for professionals. The book works in a logical manner, starting with a history of plaster, and moving on to techniques, materials and recipes. Supporting the text is a plentiful collection of black-and-white photographs, illustrations and sketches, beautifully reproduced in this reprint. The addition of a new introduction helps guide newcomers to the world of lime before they tackle the original text. The historical survey takes up the first two chapters, the second covering Eastern and Continental plasterwork. In the first chapter derogatory remarks are made about the Adam brothers’ desire for precision and the ‘death’ of hand modelling. The following three chapters are written by Bankart. These cover lime-stucco plasterwork, modern plasterwork, and modelling and design in relief. Bankart’s passion is clearly for the liveliness of hand modelling (on p249 he includes a photo of a ceiling rose captioned ‘Typical Victorian Flower “Horror” in Plaster’). The book moves on to the more practical aspects of working with plaster. The aim of the fourth edition, however, was to provide guidance and understanding of the skills that take years of training and expertise to develop, rather than being a manual for craftsmen, and Bankart omitted much of Millar’s specifically technical information. Yet much remains of practical value, both in new work and in conserving historic plasterwork. A section on renovating old ceilings, for example, includes practical guidance on how to save a ceiling using plaster and scrim to reinforce it from above. There is also information on repairing decorative plasterwork. The chapter on materials usefully covers cements as well as lime. It includes forgotten materials such as Parian cement, which I have encountered once in my work, Martin’s cement and Keen’s cement. Descriptions of techniques such as gesso, papier-mâché and cartonpierre make us realise how limited is our own understanding of decorative finishes. The last chapter, on plasterers’ memoranda providing quantities, weights and recipes, is also revealing. Try adding pulverised marshmallow root to the mix to make the cast hard and capable of taking a polish; or coat the plaster cast in clean skimmed milk to make it look like polished marble. It is rare knowledge of this kind that makes the book invaluable today, and justifies why it should be on every heritage professional’s book shelf. Janice Gooch, design and conservation officer, Cherwell DC
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