Our Services

Conserving history, one brick at a time.

Mathias’s roots are embedded in historic brickwork, with decades of work on historic houses, Grade I listed properties and private clients/vernacular buildings.

All projects start with a thorough survey of the original brickwork to determine the right conservation approach and record the level of decay in need of repair. Failing brickwork will suffer several common issues, including cracking due to thermal movement, soluble salt damage and the constant freeze thaw cycle leading to spalling.

Our full service includes brickwork conservation and pointing, using traditional methods, materials and lime mortar specific to the property. We have considerable expertise in matching, sourcing, and preparing replacement bricks, or gauged, bricks to maintain seamless consistency with original brickwork. We ensure any replacement brick is carefully chosen to match consistently with original brick colour, size and texture.

Working in the English Flint Belt, from the Chiltern Hills to Sussex to Norfolk flint conservation and building projects have played a substantial role in the Mathias story. Over the decades, we’ve built a reputation as masters in flint, restoring a variety of historic properties, as well as contemporary new build cladding projects.

We work with a variety of flint, including knapped, random field and cobbled, for cladding, construction and quoins. We source high quality flint on spec, as well as keeping a good supply of field flint from the right regions.

Most of our flint projects require conservation of conventionally knapped and field flint walls. Sourcing and preparing stones to match the existing style carefully. We also pay specific attention to the lime mortar, finding a aggregate and binder that matches the original.

As well as conventional flint conservation, we’ve also worked on very rare projects, such as the restoration of Ashridge House Flint Grotto. This required the technique of hanging hag stones on hooks (flint with natural holes) to create vaulted ceilings.

With the increasing popularity of flint’s aesthetics, Mathias are being commissioned on more contemporary cladding projects. These typically require a lot of stone preparation, using squared-knapped and closely bonded work.

Lynn Mathias’s experience in flint is well-recognised by SPAB (Society for the Protection of Ancient Buildings), with Lynn regularly lecturing and tutoring students to maintain the historic and specialised skills in flint, across new generations.

Mathias’s experience with historic houses and ecclesiastical properties has built a strong repertoire of stonework conservation, repair, and restoration projects. Like historic brick, stonework suffers degradation through weathering, pollutants and settling, requiring a detailed approach to return historic buildings to original condition.

Most stonework projects start with working to a survey/specification from architect or historic building surveyor.

Our repair work also includes matching and sourcing replacement stone, or mortar repair, using stone dust mortar to achieve a consistent appearance with existing stone. The stone work carried out are indent repairs, shelter coating, replacement of Ashlar work to repairing effigies and stone carving.

Before the turn of the 20th century, when modern cement became the default and cheaper material, Lime Mortar was the key constituent throughout our historic building heritage. All historic building repairs require knowledge and understanding of Lime Mortar to provide a sympathetic approach and matching the original mortar from the period.

Compared to modern cements, lime mortar is more sustainable, breathable, flexible and provides a softer, more suitable aesthetic. It keeps the equilibrium of the building as the masonry is left to breathe.

All our projects start with a detailed survey, to assess the level of deterioration, such as moisture damage. We prepare surface thoroughly, removing all loose debris and ensuring decayed and damaged mortar is completely removed to improve adhesion and structural integrity.

The lime mortar mix will be determined by the building period, original mortar, brick and stonework, and the aesthetic we want to achieve. We use both natural hydraulic lime (NHL) and pure limes and hot mixes specific to the project, the tending process of the mortar afterwards is as important as the job itself ensuring the mortar is protected from the elements and given the time it needs to cure.

All projects are thoroughly cleaned and inspected on completion.

Maintenance plays an important role in the longevity of historic homes and buildings. We work with clients and surveyors to carry out regular checks and surveys, to detect early onset of any decay or damage, and avoid costly repairs and irreversible damage, at a later stage.

We regularly carry out the work for quinquennial surveys for the local diocese and annual maintenance programs for organisations and country estates.

The abundance of our historic building heritage isn’t matched by the knowledge and skills to maintain, repair, and conserve our cultural heritage. Whilst technology has fundamentally changed our modern building history, historic building techniques will always be a more human endeavour, using centuries-old skills and techniques.

Organisations, such as Mathias, play a critical role in keeping these skills moving across generations. Lynn works closely with the multiple organisations such as The SPAB (Society for the Protection of Ancient Buildings), West Dean College and Princes Foundation to educate and train apprentices on historic brickwork and flint.

Training programs cover essential and practical skills in building with historic brick styles and the variety of flint construction techniques. Workshops also explore the properties of brick and flint, repair techniques, surveying, failures and poor practices.

In addition to skills training in class settings, Mathias provide on-site experience through training days scheduled into our live projects. Working in-situ gives apprentices/delegates an immersive understanding of working on a live historic site and how these specialised and traditional skills are applied to genuine conservation projects.