Diespeker has a reputation for being able to carry out niche work, whether that’s restoring historic terrazzo, or matching natural stone for repairs. We use our expertise for projects across the UK and sometimes internationally. But there’s something wonderful about being involved with work on our home turf, in London.
Trafalgar Square is one of the most iconic and recognisable locations of London’s landscape, with Nelson’s Column towering overhead guarded by four stunning lions. Since 1999, the ‘Fourth Plinth’ has been used to display sometimes controversial modern art. The square is always buzzing, busy with tourists, demonstrations and protests, and free outdoor events showcasing amazing sport, music and dance.
With so much footfall, the stone surface of the square takes a lot of wear and tear, and repairs and restoration work is frequent. Diespeker was contracted by DBR London Limited to undertake offsite adaptions to the to the well-used granite steps to counteract a problem where the treads were sliding forward. The solution was to cut a series of 10x10mm grooves on the underside of each step, no problem for our factory team.
The steps were removed from the square by DBR and brought to the factory in Bermondsey for the grooves to be cut into the granite. Once finished, they were returned to Trafalgar Square and fixed back in place by DBR’s masonry team just in time for the start of Euro 2021. Job done!
DBR London has been the historic fabric maintenance contractor on Trafalgar Square for over ten years undertaking regular cleaning and inspections of the masonry, bronze statues, iron decoration, and joinery, ensuring the square is maintained to the highest standard for public use.
DBR Senior Site Manager Kevin James said: “The staircase on TSQ was handed over to the head of GLA this morning – the client was very over the moon with the works and was so pleased we finished on the deadline for the events team. Please pass on my many thanks to all, it was a great team effort all round and a credit to all involved.”
