This is the story of 2 Wilkes Street. Built in 1725, left empty and derelict for over 40 years, changed hands in 2020, and now starting careful repairs. Follow my journey.
Latest blog posts….
Paint analysis on Dan’s cornice
This section of cornice from the original door hood, which I talked about in my last post, has turned out to contain a wealth of information about the past, that has guided our plans for the recreation and decoration of the new door case. Firstly, we asked paint analyst Cathy Britain to take a sample…
Dan Cruickshank and the doorcase
This unassuming piece of wood is the last surviving fragment of the original ornate door canopy and corbels from 2 Wilkes Street’s door surround. Dan Cruickshank has been a guardian of these streets since the 1970s when he helped save these houses from demolition, and he’s kept this fragment safe for nearly 50 years! “I’ve…
Glazing the new sash windows with wavy glass
Hand-blown glass was the norm before 1900, giving windows a characterful, wobbly appearance, and blemishes (“reams” – which are small waves or folds in the glass – and “seeds” – small air bubbles). Cylinder (or “muff”) glass was common in the 17th and early 18th centuries. It was made by blowing a cylinder of glass…