The restoration work to the historic murals in the dome of the exchange Arcade is now complete. I had access to the specialised work and provided the final photographs to use as reference in years to come.
After years of deterioration, largely due to water damage. G F Tomlinson and Nottingham City Council worked with specialist restorer Alex Carrington bringing the murals back to former glory.
The methodical process of restoring the paintings began mid-March 2018. The work at the grade II listed building involved significant periods of testing and cleaning to understand the extent of the damage. The nature of different varnishes and paints used before repainting were important to understand before work could begin. For me this included various trips to the top of the scaffolding to capture Alex restoring the murals.
Robin Hood’s painting was one of the most significantly damaged of the murals. The restoration works have now brought the tired painting of Nottingham’s most famous outlaw back to life. The only reference Alex had was old Black and white photographs. As a modern day photographer you often get to capture stories. However you don’t often get the chance to capture moments of history. The ability we have now to create in-depth digital images for reference is never more important than now.
To be involved in such an important project to the city, knowing that in years to come the murals could again be restored using my photographs is an honour.
