Halifax, Nova Scotia (1818)
The Building:
The oldest legislature in Canada, featuring the Red Chamber room, which housed the Senate in pre-confederation days and is now used for royal visits and other ceremonial affairs of state.
The Problem:
The Adams style ceiling of the Red Chamber is festooned with applied plaster moldings thought to have been shipped from Scotland for this project. By 1818, the fashion was decidedly Regency back home but the Scots- dominated colony of Nova Scotia was a perfect place to offload unsold inventory.
Project Synopsis:
After conducting an assessment, Historic Plaster Conservation Services was contracted to consolidate and reattach the plaster ceiling, using the HPCS acrylic-based products. All of the work was carried out within the attic space above the chamber. During the treatment process, technicians stationed below the ceiling were in radio contact with the attic crew above the ceiling in order to monitor the progress, confirm deep penetration of the consolidants, and to guard against any surface disfigurements from leaks. The chamber is now open to the public with no discernible evidence of the work that was carried out.
