Oxford Town Hall, a Grade II* listed building owned by Oxford City Council, is being restored by Mitie’s UK-leading painting business following a competitive tender process. The work to restore the historic vaulted ceiling began on 1 June 2015.
The Town Hall is a Victorian building, used for wedding receptions and Council events.
The complex work initially involved erecting a free-standing scaffold structure, so as not to damage any of the delicate plasterwork on the walls.
Mitie’s team of highly skilled painters meticulously hand brushed and vacuumed, delicately cleaning the plasterwork to prepare for the specialist priming coating system, clearing away over 30 years of dust and grime.
Some of the ornate details on the ceiling and walls required gold paint applied by hand using very small artist type brushes.
All colours and paint had to be carefully mixed to match existing colours and approved by
Oxford City Council’s Conservation Team.
BBC News Oxford picked up the story and broadcast the complexities and benefits of the restoration project, through BBC local radio and TV channels on 2 July 2015.
Kenny Robson, managing director of Mitie’s painting business, said:
“The teams thoroughly enjoys working on highly decorative heritage restoration projects. The complexity and nature of this type of work makes it such an interesting challenge.
“We recently won the Premier Trophy Award from The Painting & Decorating Association and Painting Contractor of the Year from PPG for our work at The Lyceum Theatre in Sheffield, proving we are a market leader in this sector and that we are adaptable.”
Richard Clements, Oxford Town Hall commercial manager, said:
“Oxford Town Hall is one of the most beautiful buildings in the city and is popular with tourists and as a venue for a wide variety of civic, corporate and community events.
“We wanted to preserve the ceiling’s artwork for future generations and spent three years planning the refurbishment and working with our Conservation Team to make sure that it is done to the highest standard.”
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For further information, contact:
Helen Greenwood, IR & PR Manager, Mitie Group plc
T:+44 20 3123 8731 E:helen.greenwood@mitie.com
