~ Edinburgh Front Door ~
That “oops” moment, when someone falls through the door.
One beautiful front door, c.1890, by Daniel Cottier. Well worth saving as much as possible to retain the original look and feel of the smashed door. The jigsaw of bits arrived in a bucket. It took two weeks to reassemble every shard, and to work forwards from there, cutting and re-painting as required.
Never throw any debris away.
Door before conservation
The door is one of a series of door-landscapes and is totally unique. One third of it was completely smashed on impact.
Before conservation
A man fell through a window.... he left a man sized hole....
Before conservation
Damage to glass and lead
Before conservation
Detail showing extent of impact damage
Before conservation
All the large pieces were laid out before the bucket of shards were explored
Before conservation
Detail showing condition of panel when it arrived in the studio
During conservation
Lead being removed where it was most damaged. Where possible, the original leading was retained (about 1/3rd of the whole)
Replacement flower painting
About one third of the window had to be re-cut and painted. This flower is just one small piece, copying Cottier's 19th C painting style
New replacement flower
The original flower was completely smashed on impact
During conservation
After cleaning, after re-cutting and re-painting, everything is laid out and checked that it all matches with the original glass
New glass painting
New glass pieces laid on top of old glass shards to check for accuracy
New replacement bird
The original bird did not survive the impact
After Conservation
Finished panel laid out on studio bench after leading
Finished window
Finished window installed in situ, with toughened glass to protect it from further damage
Finished window in situ
Finished window in situ
