Keeping the Abbey Alive
"The historic environment provides a tangible link with our past and contributes to our sense of national, local and community identity. It also provides the character and distinctiveness that is so important to a positive sense of place. It can support the regeneration and sustainable economic and social development of our communities. It enhances the quality of our daily lives."
(North Tipperary County Council Heritage Plan 2013 - 2018)
The abbey holds an abundance of our architectural heritage, through historical and archaeological interests, as well as its ecclesiastical and monastic cultural heritage. I would have loved to have been able to see this place back in 1254 in all its glory with the roof and beautiful windows when it was first built. It would have been an amazing place as records state that by the end of the 13th century the Abbey was the head of one of the five sub divisions into which the Irish Convents were divided. Alemand calls it "one of the richest Franciscan convents in Ireland."
Unfortunately all that remains of the abbey today are its walls so the main focus is on conserving them as best we can and to prolong the life of the abbey into future generations. As the abbey is now a burial ground, restoration of the roof or windows would be unreasonable so maintaining the walls in good condition is the objective of the conservation work needed.
(North Tipperary County Council Heritage Plan 2013 - 2018)
The abbey holds an abundance of our architectural heritage, through historical and archaeological interests, as well as its ecclesiastical and monastic cultural heritage. I would have loved to have been able to see this place back in 1254 in all its glory with the roof and beautiful windows when it was first built. It would have been an amazing place as records state that by the end of the 13th century the Abbey was the head of one of the five sub divisions into which the Irish Convents were divided. Alemand calls it "one of the richest Franciscan convents in Ireland."
Unfortunately all that remains of the abbey today are its walls so the main focus is on conserving them as best we can and to prolong the life of the abbey into future generations. As the abbey is now a burial ground, restoration of the roof or windows would be unreasonable so maintaining the walls in good condition is the objective of the conservation work needed.
Conservation Principles
"The primary aim of conservation is to prolong the life of something of value, and to do so in a way that protects what is valuable about it. The built heritage enriches our lives and provides a connection with, and a means of understanding our shared past. Ruined structures, while they may be seen as having little or no economic value in themselves, in fact have incalculable value as tangible historical records of those who have gone before us, of the lives they lived and of their aspirations and achievements. Each structure provides unique and irreplaceable evidence of the past and should be passed on to future generations with that evidence intact."
(The Department of the Environment, Heritage and Local Government, 2010)
(The Department of the Environment, Heritage and Local Government, 2010)
Lime Mortar
The use of lime mortars in the conservation of historic ruins is important for three basic reasons:
> To replicate as closely as possible the original materials used in the construction > To create a mortar that is less hard than the stone in the construction,so that expansion of the mortar, due to frost or other action, will result in failure of the mortar rather than damage to the stone > To provide ‘breathability’ in the wall. Lime mortar is the most vapour-porous of all mortars. It allows moisture in the structure to evaporate through the mortar joints,so avoiding damage to the stone by salt build-up or frost damage if this becomes the main route of evaporation. Ordinary Portland Cement cannot meet the above three criteria, and therefore should not be used in the conservation of historic buildings and structures. |
Repointing Steps
> Select and rake out all defective pointing. There is no need to repoint the whole wall if some pointing is sound.
> The raked-out material should be collected, retained and reuse small stones as pinnings.
> Carefully clean all of the joints, removing vegetable matter and decayed mortar
> New mortar is pressed into the joint to a depth of at least one and a half times the height of the masonry joint to ensure the stability of the new pointing mortar.
> Samples of the raked-out mortar should be saved for analysis to determine its properties and texture.
> The sand should be washed,sharp, and graded as close as is practicable to the sand in the original mortar.Grit should be added in the same proportion in which it occurred in the original mortar.
> The mortar, properly mixed,should be quite ‘fat’ in texture, but with a well controlled water content so that the mortar when placed remains firm.
> The mortar needs to be tightly packed into the joint to ensure that it engages with the masonry, and struck off level with the face of the stone.
> As the mortar is setting, it needs to be tamped or hammered on the face with a stiff bristle brush to finally tighten up the joint and to expose the coarse aggregate in the mortar.
> The raked-out material should be collected, retained and reuse small stones as pinnings.
> Carefully clean all of the joints, removing vegetable matter and decayed mortar
> New mortar is pressed into the joint to a depth of at least one and a half times the height of the masonry joint to ensure the stability of the new pointing mortar.
> Samples of the raked-out mortar should be saved for analysis to determine its properties and texture.
> The sand should be washed,sharp, and graded as close as is practicable to the sand in the original mortar.Grit should be added in the same proportion in which it occurred in the original mortar.
> The mortar, properly mixed,should be quite ‘fat’ in texture, but with a well controlled water content so that the mortar when placed remains firm.
> The mortar needs to be tightly packed into the joint to ensure that it engages with the masonry, and struck off level with the face of the stone.
> As the mortar is setting, it needs to be tamped or hammered on the face with a stiff bristle brush to finally tighten up the joint and to expose the coarse aggregate in the mortar.
Other Conservation Work
What remains of the abbey today is in pretty good shape and that's down to the conservation work carried out previously. The majority of this work is good but there are some bad examples also. Some obvious measures taken include re-pointing, sealing wall tops and preventing vegetation from overwhelming the structure.
There are some areas of the walls that have been repaired incorrectly with cement. Walls which were re-pointed or repaired using cement mortar may, over time, give rise to problems. Dense cement pointing, which is non porous, traps moisture within the wall. In some instances,the hard pointing mortar causes the softer stone to crack. Sometimes,the cement pointing may fall out, showing the original lime mortar behind. While it is generally advisable to remove cement pointing where it is causing damage,the removal works may cause further damage to the stone and a decision may be made after careful assessment that it is less damaging to leave it. The tops of the walls have been sealed over to prevent water penetrating through the walls and damaging them. Water penetration of wall tops is a common and significant cause of deterioration in masonry structures. Wall tops would have originally been covered either by the roof which would have protected it when the abbey was functional. Vegetation which is allowed to grow unchecked can rapidly overwhelm a structure and accelerate its decay. The abbey used to be covered with ivy which has now been removed to prevent it from taking over the structure of the walls and damaging them. It is important that ivy removal is carried out correctly as it can cause damage to the structure itself or may damage the wildlife in and around it if it is done incorrectly. |
Model
The model I made shows the east gable including the three lancet windows, buttress and the small gable light at the top. I decided to pick this part of the building because it is the first image that comes into my head when I think of the abbey. If there was and earthquake tomorrow and I could only save one part of the Abbey, this is the part I would choose to save. The east gable, as was the case with most friaries, is the most elaborate part of the abbey with its three lancet windows.
Re-pointing and keeping the stone work sound is vital for keeping this gable standing and this is what I intended to show in making the model. |
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