All of London’s Mayors turned out on a glorious Sunday morning to unveil the restored Whittington Stone in Highgate! 🐈⬛
This much-loved monument to the iconic Londoner Dick Whittington has been restored thanks to a project by Heritage of London Trust and @islingtoncouncil , generously supported by the Englefield Charitable Trust ✨
The restoration, carried out by @sshconservation included careful stone repairs, recutting and repainting of the lettering along with refurbishment and repainting of the railings. There will be an interpretation panel on the adjacent wall added soon.
A whopping 360 young people have been involved in the project through our Proud Places programme, engaging in creative workshops and learning about conservation. 💫
The young people have taken inspiration from Dick Wittington’s story of perseverance:
“Dick Whittington inspired me by not giving up on the first go but kept on going until he succeeded!” said Amen, age 11, from St John’s Upper Holloway C of E School.
Led by the Lady or Lord Mayor, all the Mayors of London walk every year along the route of Dick Whittington’s walk into London, an event organised by the Lord Mayor’s Association.
More info in bio!
Despite the rain, progress on the Crystal Palace Park dinosaurs hasn’t slowed.
The specialist team restoring these extraordinary listed sculptures has spent so much time with them that they’ve become more like companions than work. Each day reveals another layer of history, another detail to protect, another reason to feel attached to these iconic creatures.
It’s meticulous, patient conservation, the kind of work that demands both technical skill and genuine care. And even in less‑than‑ideal weather, that dedication hasn’t wavered. These dinosaurs have stood for more than 170 years and thanks to the passion of the people working on them now, they’ll stand proudly for generations to come.
Winchester College War Memorial Cloister- one of Herbert Baker’s most celebrated commissions and the largest private war memorial in Europe, was conserved in 2023-2024 to mark its centenary. The architects @radleyhousepartnership and the conservation practice @sshconservation undertook the work. #buildingconservation #herbertbaker #craftmanship #winchestercollege
Crystal Palace Park: Heritage in Action
We’re proud to be leading on the refurbishment works for the Italian Terraces at Crystal Palace Park for Bromley Council, a key part of the wider regeneration plan they are co-delivering with the Crystal Palace Park Trust.
Our team had the pleasure of visiting Vobster HQ alongside Donald Insall Associates. It was inspiring to see first-hand the craftsmanship and progress being made on the wet cast Bathstone elements, including coping stones, piers, and bottles that will soon be installed on site.
Projects like this rely on the expertise of highly skilled suppliers, and we’re delighted to be working with such talented specialists to bring this historic landscape back to life.
A huge thank you to Alan Gordon of Taylor Maxwell Clerkenwell and Aaron Cummings for organising such a fantastic day.
We look forward to seeing these pieces take their place in the park and to continuing our journey in delivering this landmark heritage project.
Learn more about the wider regeneration works here: /pages/regeneration-updates
#CrystalPalacePark #HeritageProject #Regeneration #Collaboration
Crystal Palace Dinosaur restoration breathing new life into historic park
Restoration of the iconic Crystal Palace Park dinosaurs sees careful steam cleaning and repairs underway, as the regeneration plan begins to breathe new life into the historic park.
Having stood proudly in the park since the Victorian era, the impressive dinosaur models are beginning to have their original look revealed, as specialist steam cleaning, careful removal of excess paint and delicate mortaring work visibly shows the effects of restoration works. Scaffolding has also been set up around the larger models on dinosaur island to allow targeted restoration work to their upper sections.
The extensive park-wide regeneration plan is being co-delivered by Bromley Council and Crystal Palace Park Trust, with the support of partners, including a £5m grant from The National Lottery Heritage Fund. The current multi-million-pound phase of works are expected to be complete by Autumn 2026.
Visitors to the park will have noticed restoration work getting underway on the Italian Terraces with scaffolding and heras fencing providing protection during the works to the stone structure where the Crystal Palace once stood. The bust of Sir Joseph Paxton, the Victorian designer of the Crystal Palace, is also being restored during the works and will be relocated to the Italian Terraces, to sit proudly in the centre of the park.
Restoration to the dinosaurs is being guided by expert advice, including from Historic England over a number of years. The current restoration of the dinosaurs is being delivered by SSH Conservation, who are part of the team of heritage specialists assembled by Maylim, the Council’s appointed contractor to deliver this phase of the regeneration plan. Detailed plans for this phase of works were developed by a team of specialist consultants led by HTA Design, which received planning approval last year.
Read more at /news/article/894/crystal-palace-dinosaur-restoration-breathing-new-life-into-historic-park or at 'latest news' through our bio.
#crystalpalacepark #crystalpalace #bromley
Our team has been busy cleaning the bust of Sir Joseph Paxton, restoring it to its original glory.
Resharing the original post by @crystalpalaceparktrust
Ooof! Climbing the scaffolding to see the magic of restoration up close🪜✨
It’s incredibly satisfying watching years of grime lift away as the marble gleams again. The brilliant team of heritage conservators is giving the (very tall!) bust of Sir Joseph Paxton a thorough clean before it moves to the Italian Terraces early next year… all while working under pouring rain! 🙌
#crystalpalacepark #heritageconservation #behindthescenes #paxtonlegacy
The restoration of the Dinosaurs at Crystal Palace Park may be one of our wildest jobs to date.
Working within a Grade I listed landscape, alongside life-sized Victorian sculptures, has brought unique challenges. From specialist conservation techniques to careful logistics, this project is a true blend of heritage, creativity and precision.
More to come as the work continues.
@crystalpalaceparktrust@lbbromley
Crystal Palace Dinosaurs
Maylim Projects
Heritage Restoration
➡️Swipe to restore!
🎨Have you visited Musgrave Watson's Victorian masterpiece in Islington yet?
🌳Hidden in a delightful pocket park called Battishall Gardens, the stunning 70ft Victorian frieze 'Commerce Welcoming All Nations' had been forgotten and was neglected, starting to crack and had become overgrown with weeds.
🖌️The restoration project included cleaning grout and mortar repairs with a lime-based shelter coat on the whole frieze.
🏛️The frieze once stood on the grand Hall of Commerce building in the City of London, and is packed with symbolism. Visit, and you'll see Commerce with outstretched wings, as well as figures representing Peace, Poetry, Music, Enterprise, and even the Messenger of Glad Tidings.
🍃The project was completed in spring this year, and we think the frieze is now looking fabulous thanks to HOLT, @islingtoncouncil and @sshconservation .
