Stone Restoration and Memorial Restoration Sheffield Council – Yorkshire

What needed doing?

Softwashing UK were approached by Sheffield City Council, whose War Memorials required restoration. The council had been stung in the past by previous suppliers, who had used incorrect restoration methods which had left the monuments dirty, or in some cases even damaged. As a consequence we needed to discuss our methods in depth and detail with the council, and then consulted direct with the War Memorials trust, to provide the reassurance that our methods were correct and would be effective. We were awarded two memorials with which to prove ourselves, before pressing on with monuments county wide.

What we did?

We used the Doff Steam System to restore the memorials, as recommended by the War Memorials Trust, English Heritage, and Historic England. We also used specialist masonry and metal restoration techniques to restore a variety of metals, including bronze, stainless steel, and gold.

Many of the monuments we cleaned are very dear to the residents of Sheffield, who suffered considerably during WW2, or who had family members in the armed forces. One of these monuments, known as Mi Amigo, has been featured extensively on BBC News due to the regards it has been held in by the Sheffield community. Residents in the area had tended to the memorial diligently over the years. Over the decades they were unable to stop organic growth becoming established however, as nature will take its course without specialist intervention.

Softwashing UK were delighted to see their stone restoration work on the BBC News! It goes to prove how important it is to restore stone with sensitivity, as  memorials and artworks are held in great public esteem and affection.

The Results

Sheffield city council were thrilled with the results, and we had numerous compliments from locals too. Including the local British Legion. We look forward to working alongside Sheffield and Yorkshire communities now and in the future.