Restoration of Notre Dame will take longer than planned five years, says Shrewsbury architect
An architect from Shrewsbury who specialises in conservation has cast doubt that the fire ravaged Notre Dame Cathedral can be restored within the five years set by French President Emmanuel Macron.
The cathedral was severely damaged by fire in April last year.
Architect Andrew Arrol said there was a "huge amount of complex salvage work" to do.
Giving a presentation to Shrewsbury Severn Rotary Club, he said: "I don’t think they are going to do it in five years.
"The fire was a real disaster and shock to everyone who saw it and thought it can’t be true.”
He described problems which he said the authorities still had to deal with due to fire and water damage. Gables were on the point of collapse and it wasn’t just a question of repair, but cleaning as well, he said.
He described how molten lead had poured out of the vault scuppers and spoke of the danger of lead poisoning.
“I have never seen anything like the extent of lead partition – there‘s a real task ahead," he said.
Four thousand oak trees were required for the building of the roof, said Mr Arrol, who attended for one term at a school in France.
He described as "bonkers" ideas which had been put forward for the cathedral, from a mosque to a glass roof under which would be parks with trees.
“I would personally like to see the cathedral go back to its original design,” said Mr Arrol.
“I think that across Europe there will be a sharing of ideas, but they will be lucky to do it in five years. There is a construction period on top of this.”
He also told Rotarians of the 16 years he had spent on the ongoing restoration of York Minster Cathedral which was English and French all the way through.
He described the Minster as an "extraordinary building" with a huge amount of history and a key issue in its restoration was the magnesian limestone used during construction.
Locally, he has been involved in many Shrewsbury buildings including the old Market Hall.
