Westgate works complete
The works at Warwick's Westgate have been completed.
The scaffold tunnel on the delicate 12th century arch which was erected to protect the public was dismantled on January 14. The arch, which supports the chapel above and covers the footway at West Street, Warwick, next to the Lord Leycester Hospital, has been undergoing vital repairs in recent months.
Following the report of falling debris in 2009, a survey found the face of the original sandstone was found to be very soft. Warwickshire County Council engineers have since supervised a programme of careful repairs to the arch.
Disintegrating stonework was replaced and the whole inner surface hardened with an acrylic water based suspension, or silane. To further reduce the likelihood of damage, better drainage has been installed above the arch to divert the flow of water penetrating the stonework.
The only remaining work in restoring Westgate to its former glory is for the vegetation growing on the outside of the arch to be removed.