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Darren McLean

@darrenmcleanuk.bsky.social

1.7K followers 130 following 5.8K posts

Building conservation university teacher and practitioner. Historic building materials, construction techniques, and architecture. Studying Roman construction. Interested in forgotten methods and materials. UK/Italy

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Darren McLean @darrenmcleanuk.bsky.social · Nov 14

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Darren McLean @darrenmcleanuk.bsky.social · 52m

Heads up.

A carving of a man’s face with a moustache and goatee beard

A close-up of one carved panel from the door

An historic set of double doors, intricately carved

The double doors of wood surrounded by a brick entranceway

Darren McLean @darrenmcleanuk.bsky.social · 1h

An unusual mosaic floor for Italy.

Monosize tesserae in a large mosaic under an arcade in an Italian shopping precinct

A close-up of the mosaic pavement with a dog lead standing on it

Reposted by Darren McLean

Dr Coralie Mills @dendrochronicle.bsky.social · 1h

My colleague @HamishDarrah.bsky.social recording historic timbers from Black Bull Close, an urban renewal project in Dunbar 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 by community enterprise The Ridge. Many of the lintels are re-used oak ships’ timbers. Yet to do the dendrochronology
#FindsFriday #buildings #timber #heritage #archaeology

Hamish is standing looking at a timber lintel on the floor and recording woodworking details. Photo copyright Coralie Mills

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Darren McLean @darrenmcleanuk.bsky.social · 1h

Bravo Bruno!

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Darren McLean @darrenmcleanuk.bsky.social · 1h

Bruno, keep showing us photos of this please!!

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Darren McLean @darrenmcleanuk.bsky.social · 1d

Reminded me of this housing development.

That’s not a criticism of the floor.

An aerial photo of an enormous and very repetitive housing estate. Nad Al Sheba Villas

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Darren McLean @darrenmcleanuk.bsky.social · 2d

Don’t believe people who tell you that their rubberised coating is bc a good solution for your dodgey outdoor tiles.

A shop’s terrace with a rubberise coating that’s failed to resolve the problem of the loose tiles beneath

Cracked tiles visible through the coating that should have hidden the problem

Darren McLean @darrenmcleanuk.bsky.social · 2d

“Designed this bad boy myself”

Darren McLean @darrenmcleanuk.bsky.social · 3d

I hope you feel better soon!

Darren McLean @darrenmcleanuk.bsky.social · 5d

Yea, but they’ll be 99% disused. And they need lots of ventilation of course.

Personally, I filled them with Lexa or foamed glass to stop condensation problems. I don’t like unused empty flus.

Darren McLean @darrenmcleanuk.bsky.social · 5d

If you say so.

Having grown-up in a country with termite problems and having worked in the tropics I’m not sure I agree. Lime doesn’t form limestone.
Lime doesn’t react with wood, not in the sense you’re implying.

Darren McLean @darrenmcleanuk.bsky.social · 5d

The Tincy Wincy little holes don’t allow enough ventilation. The other ones with the the cap and the wire mesh are far superior.

Darren McLean @darrenmcleanuk.bsky.social · 5d

What’s happening?

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Darren McLean @darrenmcleanuk.bsky.social · 5d

A Trompe l’oeil ceiling in imitation of beams, joists and carved decorations.

A photo focusing on the decoratively painted ceiling. There are large beams which are real, and smaller joist and carvings which are fake, being painted decoration

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Darren McLean @darrenmcleanuk.bsky.social · 5d

That’s a nice stack of chimneys.

Mostly with useless elephant’s foot vented caps, but a nice stack of chimneys nevertheless

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Darren McLean @darrenmcleanuk.bsky.social · 5d

Once it’s dry, it’s not an issue. Lime has been applied to galvanised and non-galvanised steel mesh and frames since the 1890s

Termites would get through this stuff in the blink of an eye once they smell the wood within. In fact, hiding the wood is more dangerous than leaving it exposed.

Darren McLean @darrenmcleanuk.bsky.social · 5d

Nice pics.

BTW, I once bought one of their 90 day suits.

Darren McLean @darrenmcleanuk.bsky.social · 5d

Keeps ‘em fresh.

Darren McLean @darrenmcleanuk.bsky.social · 5d

That’s an excellent photo. I’m sure historic Scotland have that in their archive somewhere from the outside.

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Darren McLean @darrenmcleanuk.bsky.social · 6d

Yes, it looks fantastic. Much of Italy is like this, even when subtle in a café, such as the one across the street from the apartment.

A typical Italian bar from the 1920s also with decorative paint

Darren McLean @darrenmcleanuk.bsky.social · 6d

Look up while you’re walking

Apartment above a shop on an historic building. An open window above the shop allows a decorative ceiling to be seen.

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Reposted by Darren McLean

Darren McLean @darrenmcleanuk.bsky.social · 20d

Some examples of indirectly (through paper) and directly incised ‘frescoes’.

As is the case with most ‘frescoes’ there’s a combination of true fresco,
half fresco and not fresco, i.e., secco decoration .