Historic churches are amongst the most challenging and rewarding prospects for floor restoration services because they rely on a very careful process of surveying and sourcing natural materials as required, and using a multi-step process to fix the damage and protect the floor in the future.
Older churches are typically listed buildings with specific requirements when it comes to preserving the historic character of the building.
The exact characteristics that need to be preserved will vary by entry, but churches with unique historic flooring designs will be subject to legal protection and will need to be carefully maintained, protected and restored.
Of these, perhaps the most unique and most historically important is Cosmatesque, most famously seen in the Cosmati Pavement in front of Westminster Abbey’s High Altar.
The Cosmati were a Roman family of sculptors, architects and stonemasons who specialised in an ornate combination of marble and glass mosaic floors with geometric designs and a combination of ornate panels and plain polished stone.
What made it so unique is that it emerged in the exact middle point between the fall of Roman traditions with the collapse of the remnants of the Byzantine empire, and the resurgence of classical architecture and design during the Renaissance.
Because of its use of multiple materials that can easily be damaged, stained and scuffed over the centuries, very few of the already limited number of Cosmatesque floors known to have been laid in England have survived.
Whilst Westminster Abbey’s flooring, built on orders of Henry III in 1245, has survived thanks to an extensive preservation and restoration effort, others have only survived in parts.
Because the elaborate designs involve the use of geometric patterns involving marble taken from ancient ruins, many of the floors are elaborate without necessarily being symmetrical.
This means that a restoration would require a dedicated insight into the many different patterns and materials used.