Opened in 1819, Burlington Arcade in Picaddilly, was Britain’s very first shopping Arcade and is now recognised as a historic and architectural masterpiece. The longest covered shopping street in England and possibly the most beautiful, this oasis of tranquility is one of London’s hidden treasures packed with luxurious accessories – renowned throughout the world for its individuality and craftsmanship.

Szerelmey Restoration undertook to clean the brickwork throughout the Arcade, following a cleaning sample test to discover the best and most effective cleaning method possible. As the shops in the Arcade were in constant use during working hours, Szerelmey had to perform all of the work out of normal working hours. During each evening, all of the shop fronts were fully protected to prevent ingress of dust arising from the cleaning works. This protection was removed after the completion of each evenings work. During the progress of the cleaning works, the method of cleaning was changed to cleaning by hand to further reduce the quantity of dust. Additional labour was drafted in to enable the works to remain on programme. Both Portland stone entrances at each end of the arcade were also cleaned and restored as part of the works.

 

Client:                           Tulliallan Burlington Ltd

Architect:                      Osel Architecture

Main Contractor:            Szerelmey Restoration Ltd