C O N T E X T 1 3 6 : S E P T E M B E R 2 0 1 4 31 reflection of the group’s views on the Scottish independence debate. As we returned to the bus and observed the neighbouring farmer’s storage yard, one delegate enquired whether that was another art installation. Perhaps that is the value of art in the landscape: it changes perceptions and makes one see reality in a different light. Kate E Dickson Rosslyn Chapel A bright sunny Edinburgh morning and a short bus trip were punctuated by the need to digest all 593 pages of Dan Brown’s The DaVinci Code, course reading material issued to all delegates embarking on this study tour. Fortunately I had already seen the film and knew that one of its jewels was the spectacular architecture and setting of Rosslyn Chapel.What waited for us was not the quest to search for the secret of the Holy Grail but an exploration of the conservation challenges of a building of not only great architectural merit but also artistic endeavour. The tour leader was Brian Park, founding partner and architect of Page\Park Architects, one of Scotland’s best-known practices for undertaking work within the historic environment. A longstanding relationship with the Rosslyn Chapel Trust has ensured a rolling programme of conservation repairs and redevelopment of improved visitor facilities, working alongside a multi-disciplinary design team, conservators, archaeologists and specialist conservation contractors. The Chapel of St Matthew exists not only as a place of worship, but also as a remarkable example of the skill and artistic craftsmanship of the stonemasons of the time. The structure is constructed primarily in stone and highly decorated both inside and out in unusual stone sculpture.The meaning of this has been under much discussion over time. The design intentions at the site were in fact far greater: a larger, cruciform building with a tower rising at its centre, a collegiate church. Although unfinished, what was completed took over 40 years and remains remarkably intact. Today it remains within the ownership of the family descended from William St Clair, third Prince of Orkney, who started construction in 1446. Brian Park spoke of the careful approach to the conservation work at the chapel. Prior to Page\Park’s association, a large protective canopy had been erected which covered the chapel roof in its entirety for a period of 12 years. This was beneficial to the chapel’s longevity. The original stone roof had been acting as a giant sponge, soaking up whatever the Scottish climate could throw at it.Water had been penetrating the chapel over a prolonged period of time, manifesting in large areas of green algae growth to the interior.The canopy allowed the masonry to dry out gradually before the installation of a new lead roof and refurbishment of the rainwater goods. Further conservation work followed, including stained glass repair, rebuilding the organ, and installing new heating and lighting. A more pressing conservation concern, currently on hold due to financial restrictions, is the careful laser cleaning of the entire interior of the chapel. Work carried out by the Ministry of Works in the 1950s coated the entire stone surface of the interior of the chapel in a cement-like slurry of magnesium fluoride. All conservation professionals know that this is most definitely not aligned with current conservation philosophy. Much detail of the stonework is preserved, but the sharpness of the stonemason’s chisel is eroding along with the kaleidoscope of colours that the natural form of the stone would bring to such a special interior. A complex, painstaking and lengthy programme of conservation work awaits to a highly decorative and artistic interior at risk. Michael Atkinson Rosslyn Chapel: the original stone roof had been acting as a giant sponge. (Photo: Charles Strang)
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