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, as lime mortar can expand and contract with changes in the weather, while cement is more rigid.

“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 brick work is key to this. Iain explains: “By conserving the brickwork using traditional materials we are making long-lasting improvement, rather than a short-term fix. We are making the Palace more resilient and have greater consistency in our work. Getting it watertight also paves the way for improvement projects in the future.”

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.