Solution
The restoration took place over four months and cost £4 million.
To retain fine details such as cornices and leaves, damaged pieces were removed and used to form casts with fine casting plaster. The new pieces were then skilfully blended with the old.
Depending on the required thickness, some of the arched walls within the theatre’s lunettes were plastered with Thistle Bonding Coat plaster, while others were skimmed with Thistle BoardFinish. This followed a coat of Thistle Bond-It to provide a chemical and mechanical key for the plaster.
The building was also updated to allow modern mechanical and electrical installations such as lighting and air conditioning to be integrated with the building’s early 19th century architecture.
Thanks to the success of the restoration, the Theatre Royal can continue to be cherished by its thousands of annual visitors for years to come.