Putting lime in the limelight at Poltimore House

Building practitioners, conservation professionals and members of the public who are interested in, or are a part of, the restoration of the 18th century Poltimore House, Devon, are gathering for the Building Limes Forum ‘Lime Slam’ event on Saturday 13th April 2019.

The Building Limes Forum (registered charity) aims to bring together people who are passionate about the use of building limes and raise awareness about the importance of natural lime for built heritage and sustainable new builds. A Lime Slam invites everyone to learn, discover and share knowledge about the use of building lime through talks, practical demonstrations and a tour or visit to a historic site.

This is the first ‘Lime Slam’ of its kind to take place in the South West of England. The day will include a unique opportunity to hear from Poltimore House Trust who will be joined by Sue Whittle of Simpson & Brown Architects, and Geoffrey Preston one of the UK’s leading architectural plaster sculptors. They will be talking about the history of the house and its restoration including the decorative plasterwork.

Phil Brown, Cornish Lime, will then talk about the supply of material and the use of lime products for the conservation and repair of old buildings. This will be followed by a demonstration and talk about slaking quick limes for mortar by Nigel Copsey, Earth Stone & Lime Company and Associates, which was originally based in the South West.

Attendees will then be invited to enjoy a tour of Poltimore House and stay for a Q&A session hosted by Philip Scorer, Vitruvius Conservation and committee member of the Building Limes Form.

“We thank Poltimore House for hosting our very first South West Lime Slam. It is an excellent opportunity to bring together local practitioners, professionals and those interested in building conservation to have discussions, share information and make contacts.

An important part of being involved in the heritage sector is understanding the roles of the professionals, the correct use and specification of materials and an understanding of the craft skills required to preserve, conserve and restore historic buildings like Poltimore House,” says Philip Scorer.