What’s the point? A discussion about finishing walls with lime

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 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 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