Condition
Conservation
To prepare the doors for conservation work, the first step was to safely remove loose glass and then the metal fixtures within the door. Taking into account heritage considerations due to their age, solvents were injected into the doors to break the glue bond, softening them to allow for pieces to be mechanically removed.
This gave access to the stable jarrah core layer beneath, which was then cleared of old adhesive.
The final stage involved stabilising the doors to ensure they retain their shape and form, stabilising each layer, then re-adhering the layers together.
Treatment
Outcome
The key to the survival of the doors lay in their design, comprising four separate layers of jarrah laminated together. The outer layers burned away almost entirely, but the inner layers were protected.
And though initially thought lost forever, the brass doorknobs and push panels were excavated from the ashes and reconditioned.
The iconic front doors of the Old Parliament House are now back in service, the red-brown jarrah gleaming again. With their original jarrah core, original brass doorknobs and push panels, new glass, new decorative finishings and a new top layer of wood, the doors are ready for another 100 years of service.
Before treatment
During treatment
After treatment
