It’s not a bad quiz question: ‘how many bricks were used to build Ally Pally?’
SPOILER ALERT! Answer: 15 million (!!).
“It’s a fantastic building” says our recently appointed Brick Mason, Michael Blake.
“It’s seven and half acres of brick” explains Iain McDonald, our Head of Property and Facilities.
Michael’s appointment brings the role of Brick Mason back to the Palace for the first time in 30 years. Brick Masons built the Palace back in 1873, and again following major fires in 1875 and 1980.
Having used contractors in recent times to care for our bricks, appointing Michael gives us a permanence and continuity in the task of working around the building – inside and out – to repair and improve our 15 million bricks.
Welsh arches, queen closures…so many small details in the masonry date back to when the Palace was first built 150 years ago. It’s heritage brick work and requires Michael to use traditional methods in his daily work. In particular, he uses lime mortar rather than sand and cement. “We say that the Palace breathes” he explains, noting that lime mortar offers more flexibility compared to cement, which is more rigid. Lime mortar can accommodate slight movements, making it more adaptable to environmental conditions.
“We don’t know where the bricks come from, but we do know they’re man-made, rather than being mass produced as they would be today. It means each one is unique.”
Getting the building watertight is a key task, and caring for the brickwork is crucial to this process. Iain explains: “By conserving the brickwork using traditional materials, we are making long-lasting improvements rather than short-term fixes. We are making the Palace more resilient and ensuring greater consistency in our work. By using lime mortar, we ensure the building can dry out when it gets wet, avoiding the moisture trapping issues associated with modern day cements. Michael is doing extensive work to reverse the damage caused by modern materials in the past.”
Caring for the Palace and Park is our underlying charitable purpose. Fixing, repairing and restoring enables us to ensure the Palace is ship-shape and we are able to open up more spaces for communities to enjoy.
Despite the scale of the task Michael says he enjoys the variety of the work. “Getting high up, looking out over London is a nice way to spend a working day.”
“I’ve lived most of my adult life in the area – we used to spend a lot of weekends up here in the Park as a family. Through all that time the building looks the same, though it is opened up a lot more now than when I was younger. It’s the view that has changed a lot!”
Discover more about our Restoration work.
