The Door Restorer

19/05/2026

See several expert specialist craftspeople at Maison Dieu Dover this coming weekend.
Oh, and me on Saturday helping out!

08/05/2026

Days with zero income

Day 21 3 weeks

Chisel sharpening

22/04/2026

When I left school in 1980, the most common thing for me and my (male) peers, was to get an apprenticeship in construction. We were probably the 'last generation', 'cos skills have been in decline ever since.

In today’s Times, ‘London’s historic sites face ruin as specialist skills dwindle’.

“We are seeing critical gaps in heritage and craft skills and this is naturally imperilling London’s historic buildings,” says Neal Shasore, a Trustee at the Architectural Heritage Fund ... “Over 2026 there is an anticipated £6 billion worth of construction works on pre-1919 buildings in London... Meanwhile, 16 per cent of heritage organisations surveyed within London reported workforce skills gaps, with an additional 31 per cent reporting skills shortages.”

https://www.thetimes.com/article/527416e1-beab-4ab2-b246-493de0c5860d (subscription required)

Photo: Grace Impesi, stonemason, by James Glossop

21/04/2026

Two of the four doors that received the reclaimed rimlocks.
Bathroom on the left, study on the right.
As part of a thorough renovation of the terraced Victorian house, the doors were restored in stages over a period of a year and a half.
Repair Restore Re-use Recycle ♻️

21/04/2026

These photos show the process I've used to convert this Victorian door back to it's original arrangement of rimlock and k***s.
The mortice lock and modern door furniture in pics 1&2 are a fairly recent makeover, and clearly aren't matching.
The other photos show the repair stages and one of the salvaged and restored rimlocks, coupled with new beehive k***s purchased by my clients.

21/04/2026

I salvaged these matching locks from some unwanted doors gifted to me by a fellow chippy around 3 years ago.
Then in October 2024, I was approached to restore 4 late Victorian doors.
These rimlocks were of the right period, and were perfect for the job.
After removing the white paint off them and giving them a gentle restoration, they are all now rehomed together and will last many more years.
I'll post more about the doors they are on soon.

10/04/2026

My walk to the workshop in 1:1 photos
About 20 minutes each way (when I don't stop to take photos)
I don't need the van if I'm gonna be at the workshop all day, so I walk most days.
Saves diesel and does me good.
When I get to the workshop, nearly everything I work on is original, salvaged, reclaimed.
I buy hardly anything new.
I'm not trying to save the planet single handedly, just trying to do what I think is best.
Compared to yesterday's ☀️
It's a bit grey this morning, as you can see.

07/04/2026

I'm changing this period door back to having its original arrangement of rimlock and k***s.
More recently it had a modern mortice sashlock and lever handles.
These photos show how I've rebuilt and repaired the door in stages.
Repair Restore Re-use Recycle ♻️

31/03/2026

The award winning Dover Town Hall
Maison Dieu Dover

26/03/2026

It takes a little time to strip back the years

But the results make it worth it

Work in progress