Projects
Lifting and re-backing Roman mosaics from Leicester
In 2017, during the excavation of the former Stibbe factory site in Leicester, sections of a large Roman mosaic pavement were unearthed. Skillington Workshop were commissioned to lift and re-back the mosaics ready for museum display.
During excavations of the former Stibbe factory site in Leicester city centre in advance of redevelopment in 2017 University of Leicester Archaeological Services (ULAS) uncovered several large fragments of an extensive mosaic scheme. I was invited to draw up proposals for their lifting, conservation, and re-backing for museum display. The works were agreed and were carried out by a team from Skillington Workshop Ltd under my supervision.
The process involved detailed recording, then ‘facing-up’ with fine cotton cloth, separation from the underlying ground, moving onto boards and turning over, preparation of the back, fitting a lightweight backing system with a separating layer, turning back over and completing works to the face.
The client was absolutely delighted with the conserved mosaic panels, which have been successfully saved from being re-buried.
