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Carlisle Market Cross

Sculpture at the top of Carlisle Town Cross

In the city’s market place, directly outside the Town Hall and on the site of a former Roman forum, stands Carlisle Market Cross, a scheduled ancient monument erected in 1682.

The monument is formed in sandstone and consists of four courses of circular segmented steps leading up to a plinth course and base block consisting of four side panels which are likely to posses some form of spine or core for stability, which is then topped with a low level cornice. Above this is circular base stone and single column shaft with enthesis that is capped with an ionic form of capital and sun dial above with a carved lion bearing the city’s charter.

Chris Reid of Carlisle City Council introduces the monument and discusses the lion, sundial and gold-leaf balls in this video footage from Whitehaven News shot earlier this year.

The monument had clearly been painted and in areas showed signs of blistering and biological activity mostly at the face of the sun dial. There were questions over whether the paint was preventing the stone from breathing and allowing absorbed water to be trapped in the pores of the stone leading to an eventual deterioration through the mechanics of salt crystallisation and freeze thaw action.

Using the Rotec Whirljet System, St Astier gently removed the existing paint layer to expose the stone and allow a full assessment of its condition. A fracture was identified at the top edge of the stone sun dial to the front right of the lion and a number of repairs were subsequently carried out, all of which we will detail in our forthcoming featured project (so do please check our projects section in the coming weeks).

News of the repair and cleaning work should receive a warm welcome across the pond – in Carlisle, Pennsylvania, USA the Market Cross Pub is proud of its namesake and recounts a tale of Bonny Prince Charles of Scotland who decided the throne was rightfully his and proclaimed his father King from the foot of the Market Cross.

Posted on 26 August 2009 by Phil Brown and filed under .

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