Mural Restoration

Prior to the major conservation between 2003 and 2005, Phoebe Anna Traquair’s mural scheme had suffered as a direct consequence of the poor maintenance of the building over an extended period of time.

Damp penetrated the building in many places and while emergency measures carried out in the 1990s by conservation staff from Historic Scotland (now Historic Environment Scotland) prevented significant paint loss, structurally the scheme was in need of specialist attention.

Although the artist’s original technique was fundamentally sound, there were areas of weak plaster, insecure paint and applied decoration scattered throughout. In addition to the isolated loss of adhesion between layers caused by water ingress, the legibility and indeed appreciation of this remarkable scheme was also significantly impeded by layers of discoloured varnish and a century’s accumulation of surface dirt. Another factor was the migration of salts from the wall due to long periods of increased humidity. This caused a disfiguring efflorescence to develop on the painted surface. In short, aesthetically, the appearance of murals failed to do justice to the artist’s extraordinary achievement.

The conservation treatment
From the outset, a comprehensive and systematic examination took place by the team of conservators in order to devise a safe and effective plan of action. This had to be adjusted and reviewed continuously just as the artist herself had adapted her technique over the eight or so years she spent working in the space.

The Historic Scotland-funded project was lengthy and involved a small team of conservators, interns and students. To summarise, the different stages of the conservation treatment were as follows:

• Surface dirt removal
  This is a prerequisite to any conservation treatment and allowed the condition of the paint surface to be inspected in detail and at close quarters. Dry and wet methods were used to removed dust and ingrained grime.
• Consolidation of weak plaster and insecure paint
  This was a painstaking and time-consuming process requiring several different approaches depending on the condition of the a