Work begins to restore 1950s Pittuck Mural

WORK has begun to restore Barnard Castle’s Pittuck Mural following a successful fundraising campaign.
The mural, in St Mary’s Parish Hall, was painted by Barnard Castle School art teacher Douglas Pittuck in the late 1950s but had been damaged in recent years by damp coming through the wall.
This prompted a group of volunteers to host a variety of events, including a concert in the parish hall, to raise cash for it to be repaired.
This month, fine art and furniture restorer Luke Jordan began work to return it to its former glory.
He expects to complete the restoration in about eight weeks’ time. One of the first tasks is to remove salt from the surface of the mural.
Mr Jordan, who runs The Collector Antiques and Restoration on The Bank, said: “Salt is a mineral in the stone – it dissolves into the water that comes through the walls. Over time it will weaken the stone.”
Acrylic filler is then used to fill in cracks that have developed before the paint is restored. For larger areas of restoration, towards the right side of the mural, oil paint is used.
Mr Jordan said: “The further you go [to the left] the damage is more minimal – there are flakes in the paint. Here you match the colour using pigment and a synthetic resin. You can’t use oil paint because it will discolour.”
The final job will be to use a matt varnish to seal the entire mural, although Mr Jordan said this might not be done for about a year because the damp might still be coming through despite recent roof repairs.
The mural reflects life in the town from the early 1950s. It includes landmarks such as the Market Cross, Methodist chapel, St Mary’s Church
and the round tower of the castle.
The Glaxo factory, The Bowes Museum and part of Barnard Castle School are also depicted, along with a typical white Raby Estates farm and houses in Bridgegate, which were subsequently demolished as part of the slum clearance programme.