Stone facade restoration, London. Great Portland Street, W1

Portland stone facade restoration by London Stonemasonry, Great Portland Street

Pictured: Stone facade restoration by London Stonemasonry, Great Portland Street

Project summary

Project name: Great Portland Street
Service: Facade restoration and cornice replacement
Location: London, W1
Client: Langham Estate
Duration: Ten weeks

London Stonemasonry were called in to survey and then restore the facade of 4 Great Portland Street, after a large piece of stone fell from the top of the building.

Our survey of the building’s facade revealed a number of areas that needed attention. We found that there were three very large Bath cornice stones and four stone window headers that required replacement, as well as a lot of mortar repairs and pointing to be undertaken. Once the client, the Langham Estate, gave approval, we designed, cut and carved replacement stones.

The cornice and window headers were all originally manufactured from Bath stone so this is what we used to replace them. The largest of the cornice stones weighed 1.2 tons, the smallest was 800kg. The cornice is located above the seventh floor of the building, so when installing the new pieces, we put together a robust and thorough lifting plan, to ensure the hugely heavy stones could rise above the busy street safely and securely.

Stone cornice replacement: Before and after photo

Pictured: Cornice stones created and replaced by London Stonemasonry

To lift the stones, we adapted the building’s scaffolding and added a lifting tower. We then lifted the stones through the middle of the tower using an electric hoist which was hung from a NIKO track. A NIKO track has an internal running system that allows the user to move heavy items along the length of its track, this is invaluable when we need to lift large stones and slot them into position.

With all of the additional repair, pointing and render works that were necessary, we were on site for ten weeks.

We undertake a lot of work in and around the London W1 area, for many different clients. Our work is well received, which leads to customers recommending our services to other commercial clients.