informing the conservation of the built env ironment - Historic Scotland

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Thermal survey at Hill House, Helensburgh Charles Rennie Mackintosh’s Hill House sits high above Helensburgh with fine views to the south over the Clyde. Completed in 1903 as a family home, the house, its interior fittings, decoration and much of the present furniture was commissioned from Mackintosh and Margaret Macdonald by Walter Blackie of the Glasgow publishing firm. Asymmetrical and modern in appearance, the exterior echoes aspects of the style of the Scottish tower house. It has been restored and maintained by the National Trust for Scotland (NTS) since 1982. In common with many buildings where external harling is cement-based, Hill House has suffered longestablished damp problems which threaten the historic interior fittings, furnishings and decoration. At the request of NTS, Historic Scotland carried out a thermal survey of problematic areas of the interior and exterior in the summer of 2010 to inform the NTS approach to tackling the damp problem. A thermal survey can locate sub-surface damp in a structure by visualising temperature variations caused by moisture evaporation or trapping of moisture below the surface. On the south-facing external wall, thermal imaging located concentrations of moisture below the harling – South 20 FOCUS | Historic Scotland 2011
solar heat is better retained by sub-surface water than by dry masonry. These broadly coincided with areas of dampness detected in internal rooms. At the east end of the south elevation, moisture retention patterns above ground floor level suggested water ingress through wall heads and possibly also through cracks in the harling. In other locations moisture penetration patterns indicate the presence of rising damp. As there had been no heavy rain in the two weeks preceding the thermal survey, these patches of dampness implied significant saturation of the structure below the harling. The thermal evidence suggested that moisture penetration problems were most probably due to rainwater penetration behind the harling through cracks, defects at wall heads or from rising damp, exacerbated by the inability of the structure to dry out adequately due to the relative impermeability of the cement-based harling. The findings from the thermal survey will be used by the NTS to help establish an appropriate repair and maintenance strategy for the property. As Mackintosh’s commission at The Hill House embraced all aspects of its design, included much of the internal decoration and furniture, any future strategy will have to balance how best the aesthetics of his exterior are preserved, while also considering how this impacts the ongoing management of the interiors. With thanks to the National Trust for Scotland Buildings team. Maureen Young Scientist Historic Scotland maureen.young@scotland.gsi.gov.uk Thermal image of external wall of the first floor room. Colder (purple) areas show location of dampness on internal surfaces. Thermal image towards east end of south elevation. Warmer (red) areas mainly represent regions where moisture is retained below the harling. Historic Scotland 2011 | FOCUS 21
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