Next year, a seven-year program of reconstruction of one of the most significant architectural monuments in Great Britain is coming to an end. It included cleaning and restoration of the dome, facades and interior of the building, which cost a total of 40 million pounds. To change the "public image" of the cathedral, a new information kiosk will be erected nearby, designed by Ken Shuttleworth's workshop "Make" (it should open next month).
The Purcell Miller Tritton architects and restorers needed granite to restore the worn steps of the entrance to the southern half of the temple transept. According to church hierarchs, when purchasing materials in a country remote from the UK with completely different market conditions and labor laws, you should be especially careful and carefully examine the ethical side of the transaction. They were supported by the British public organization for the protection of human rights War on Want. Its representatives emphasize that when it comes to the Anglican Church and its moral character, you need to be especially careful about the details of the transaction, in particular, how realistic the asking price of the purchased material is and whether it includes fair wages for Chinese workers.
At the same time, along with ethical objections to Chinese granite, aesthetic ones also appeared. The Society for the Protection of Ancient Buildings has called for re-consideration of using this stone to replace the black limestone from the Puil Weish quarries in the Isle of Man, from which the original steps of the cathedral were made.
