Window Arch Repair

One of the jobs I really want to get done before I leave is a repair to the keystone in the main bridal suite window. This stone has dropped and has been dropping further over the last year. The shutters can no longer close and it really needs to be fixed as soon as possible. So today I carefully removed some of the stones above the keystone. The plan is to free it up and then raise it back up to the correct level again. It can then be secured in place with oak wedges and then repointed.

Once I had removed enough of the stones on top of the keystone I then put a couple of straps around it to stop it falling forward and ending up on the ground below. Then it was ready to be raised up slowly. This is a two man job so I have to wait until Friday when Mark, the stonemason, is coming over to help. It is supported with a couple of acro poles.