Essential conservation work is well under way to the fragile medieval stone of the Chapter House, ensuring it’s there for generations to come! The porous sandstone absorbs water and as this expands in cold weather it causes flaking and efflorescence (salt deposits) on the stone surface (see image below). To support the investigation into the cause of this, and to prevent it becoming worse, it’s great to have experts Stantec on site. Their special machinery has created three wells several metres deep to collect data relating to the groundwater chemistry, monitor groundwater levels over several months, and to collect soil samples for analysis.
