SECURING ST. PAUL'S.

Auckland Star, Volume L, Issue 68, 20 March 1919, Page 2

SECURING ST. PAUL'S.

Substantial progress is being made with the restoration of the stonework : supporting the dome of St. Paul's Cathedral. Recently the repair of the south-western pier was completed after occupying four years and involving the insertion of nearly 3000 ft of new Portland stone. Over 2o tons of cement were used. The strength of the pier now is probably nearly double what it was prior to the execution of the repairs, as in addition to the new stonework, as far as possible the rubble-join-ing inside the pier was cleaned out and replaced with Portland cement. The restoration of the • next pier, which has been in hand for six or eight months, is making steady headway. Owing to the extreme care required for this part of the work it must also be slow. One effect of the completion of the south-western pier and the removal of the hoarding has been to render once again visible the Nelson monument. Early in the operations the monument had to be temporarily removed, but although it was returned to its original position some months ago the hoardings obscured it until lately. A well-known technical expert who was able to speak with authority ,on the restoration scheme, stated to a Press representative recently:—"There is very little doubt that during its creation in the days of Sir Christopher Wren the weight of the dome caused a subsidence which is shown in the irregular courses of the transept clerestory. During the restoration several stones were found which were seriously crushed owing to this cause. The injury has been somewhat accentuated by the practice which so largely obtained in Sir Christopher Wrens time of cramping the stonework together with iron, which frequently results in the corners in course of time be;ng blown off by the expansion of the ironwork. At the same time, the way in which many of the difficulties of construction were got over during the erection of the cathedral bears "tribute to the master mind of Sir Christopher Wren. Mediaeval workmanship fa i„ 80 mo £ oldef period" endUril,g US that oi «■»