From dirty to delightful - Shrewsbury Cathedral's stunning Pugin floor gets a spring clean
It's amazing what a bit of elbow grease can do.
Shrewsbury Cathedral's stunning gothic floor tiles which were recently uncovered for the first time since the 1980s have been professionally cleaned to reveal their full beauty.
An ongoing project to restore the building to its old glory uncovered the floor art created by famous architect Edward Welby Pugin buried beneath a wooden floor.
Fortunately, the tiles which feature mesmerising symmetrical designs remained in good condition, so after initial work from cathedral staff to give them a tidy up, they have now been professionally cleaned up so they are totally spic and span.
The work is inspired in the design of Augustus Pugin, father of Edward, who is remembered for the part he played in the gothic revival in architecture. It was intended that Pugin Snr would carry out the work in Shrewsbury, but he died before he could get started.
Richard Keddie, development officer for the cathedral, said: "How beautiful are these tiles, now they've been cleaned professionally? Proud and lucky that they have retained their beauty and dynamic allure."
The cathedral's restoration project is currently on hold while the country is on lockdown due to Covid-19. But work will continue once the situation returns to normal.
The original pews will be brought back in from a school in Church Stretton and the pulpit, which was made from Grinshill stone, has been removed and will be replaced by a replica.
Work is also being done on the altar and the sanctuary area to restore the whole cathedral to its former glory.
The bell has already been restored by John Taylor and Co from Loughborough, the same company that made it in 1856 and was put back in place on March 25.
