GOVERNMENT HOUSE YELLOWWOOD STATE DINING ROOM EXTENSION TABLE RESTORATION
PROJECT SUMMARY
SKILLS SHOWCASED
Conservation Consultancy, Conservation Woodwork and Finishes
LOCATION
Government House, Fernberg Road, Paddington
PROJECT TIMEFRAME
2019-2020
CLIENT
Office of the Governor – Government House Queensland
PROJECT OVERVIEW
Barnes Construction & Joinery was approached by Government House and engaged to develop a solution after an issue with the tables was not able to be solved via other Government contractors.
The problem to be solved was how to retain the two tables (as per Lady Lamington’s wishes) while improving the functionality of the tables when they were placed together to create one long table. It is customary at Government House functions for the Head of the Table to be seated halfway along the side of the table, rather than at the end. In its existing state, the Head of the Table had to negotiate the legs where the two tables join, making it awkward.
The solution we devised allows for the legs to be moved via a winding mechanism when the two tables are joined together.
As part of this project, we repaired all joinery, serviced the mechanical winding, repaired and adjusted all runners, repaired all original leg castors, rebuilt the central supporting leg stocks, designed and installed a trapezoidial thread to relocate the legs for the comfort of diners and repaired and polished the coatings.
KEY ACHIEVEMENTS
- Government House had difficulty finding a solution and was referred to Barnes Construction & Joinery
- Finding a solution for this project required considerable skill in engineering and design and demonstrates the breadth of skills available to our clients.
- Another advantage to Government House engaging Barnes Construction & Joinery to carry out the physical work on the table was that we didn’t need to remove the table from the house in order to do the work. This also helped with the speed of the project
- The work on the table ultimately involved, returning the tables back to full functionality (being able to be extended and retracted) being adapted to suit the Government’s preferred seating location, and management of a non-reversible change to the table frame to best suit its functionality in its current location.
