Conserving the Chapel. 로슬린 채플(Rosslyn Chapel)

Conserving the Chapel.

로슬린 채플(Rosslyn Chapel). 스코틀랜드(Scotland)

rosslynchapel.com

 

Rosslyn Chapel has a remarkable story of survival to tell, from being used to stable Oliver Cromwell's horses in 1650 to the major conservation programme which continues to the present day.

 

1544

Rosslyn Chapel and Rosslyn Castle were both damaged during King Henry VIII's 'Rough Wooing'.

The English king declared war on Scotland in an attempt to force the Scots to agree a marriage between his son Edward and Mary, Queen of Scots.

 

1592

In response to the Portestant Reformation which outlawed Roman Catholic worship, the Chapel's altars were attaacked and destroyed. The Chapel's clergy were forced to leave.

With the building no longer used as a place of worship, it gradually fell into disrepair.

 

1650

Oliver Cromwell's troops, under the command of General Monck, stabled their horses in Rosslyn Chapel while they ransacked the nearby castle.

 

1736

James St Clair began repair work on the Chapel for the first time since it had been abandoned in the 16th century. The windows were glazed and a sloping roof was added over the side aisles and the east end of the chapel to protect it from rain.

 

1837

The 3rd Earl of Rosslyn undertook an extensive programme of repairs, overseen by the architects William Burn and David Bryce. The 18th-century sloping roof was removed and work was carried out to restore the interior fabric of the building.

 

1842

Queen Victoria visited the Chapel and expressed the desire that it be preserved for the country. This royal stamp of approval put Rosslyn firmly on the tourist map and it became an essential feature of 19th century travel books

 

1862

Following restoration work, Rosslyn Chapel is rededicated by the Episcopal Bishop of Edinburgh and Sunday services begin again for the first time in over 200 years.

 

1881

Francis Robert, 4th Earl of Rosslyn, added the baptistery onto the west end of the Chapel, incorporating the organ loft above. He also added the oak tracery arch, which, together with the two Chapel doors, is the only timber used in the entire building.

 

1915

The architect, Sir Robert Lorimer observed that 'the condition of the roof is not satisfactory'. He recommended that the roof be covered in asphalt as a protective coating, advice which at the time, although well-intentioned, would have unfortunate consequences for the building

 

1954

Work to conserve flaking carvings in the Chapel was undertaken. The carvings were brushed down and coated in a protective wash, which unwittingly caused moisture to become rapped in the stone. Here you can see green algae flourishing on the damp stonework of the Chapel's ceiling.

 

1995

In en effort to halt the deterioration of the building fabric, Rosslyn Chapel Trust was formed by the 7th Earl to conserve and care for the Chapel. The Trust has undertaken a major programme to conserve the Chapel's stonework, stained glass, roof and its magnificent Victorian organ.

 

1997

A 50-tonne steel, protective canopy, which acted like a giant umbrella, was erected over the Chapel to allow the stonework to dry out slowly and naturally. The canopy finally came down in 2010, having successfully completed its job.

 

2008

The first of the major conservation works got underway with the removal of asphalt from the roof and a painstaking programme of stone conservation. This has helped to stabilise the building by undoing damage caused in the past and preventing further decay.

 

2009

Every square centimetre of the interior and exterior of the Chapel was scanned using state-of-the-art 3D laser technology. The scan created an accurate 3-dimensional record of the physical state of the building and will allow physical changes to be tracked in the future.

 

2010

100 years of being in the damp Chapel environment took its toll on the magnificent Victorian organ. An 18-month programme to restore the instrument was undertaken and in 2011 the beatifully restored organ was brought back to the Chapel.

 

2011

Only a very few stones required to be totally replaced and re-carved as part of the conservation work. The 'Y' stone which forms the tracery in the great east window was so badly weakened that a new stone was carved in its place.

 

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