Recent ongoing research has demonstrated that Scotland had an ancient tradition of completely coating traditional buildings with lime finishes and that through time these evolved into what we think of now as pointing.

In the late 18th and 19th centuries, societal changes lead to a change in to building conservation and architectural fashion. In the late 18th and 19th centuries, societal changes lead to a change in building conservation and architectural fashion. Exposed stone walls became fashionable and pointing covering only the joints became more common. The understanding and principles of building conservation changed, resulting in a single universally adopted pointing style, called ‘the heritage joint’. Slightly recessed and with the aggregate exposed to simulate weathering, it follows the concept of ‘conserve as found’, replicating the already weathered finish.

Contrary to this practice, the research identified sixteen different pointing styles found in Scotland, however few of these are used in building conservation today. Recent fieldwork in other areas of the United Kingdom and abroad indicates that Scotland has not been alone in undervaluing lime finishes.

In partnership with the Lime Finishes Group we, we will explore lime finishes, what they looked like historically, how they evolved and performed. As we work towards making buildings more resilient and energy efficient, we explore the possibility that changes in approach and practice are required, using simple observational skills to refine existing skills, build resilience and champion local distinctiveness.

Learning outcomes

You will:

Understand contemporary evolving conservation philosophy
Gain an archaeological background to the lime finishes of the past
Understand how the two combined can provide greater fabric resilience and deeper understanding of the presentational values of architecture.

Confirmed speakers:

Dr Timothy Meek, Post-Doc, Stirling University
Roger Curtis, Historic Environment Scotland
Corey Lane, Conservation Building Surveyor
Dr Robyn Pender, Whethergauge Ltd.
Dr Gerard, Lynch Bricklayer and lecturer
Niharika Pareek, MSc, University of Edinburgh
Nicola Dyer, English Heritage
Charles Jones, Historic Environment Scotland
Vrinda Jariwala, PhD Researcher, Oxford University
Dr Callum Graham, Historic Environment Scotland
Vicky Flintoff, English Heritage
Bryan Dickson, National Trust for Scotland
Natasha Huq, Groves Raines Architects Studios
Tara Crooke, National Trust for Scotland

Who should attend?

We encourage anyone directly involved in building conservation including but not exclusively, heritage professionals, craft practitioners, architects, archaeologists, retrofit specifiers, homeowners, conservation officers and academics as well as graduates and those with an interest in the broader aspects of building conservation in Scotland.

What's the Point? - virtual attendance