Neither of these lower rooms is lighted except from a hole in the floor of the third story; the room in which, as well as in that above it, is finished with compact smooth
stonework, both having chimney-pieces, with an arch resting on triple clustered pillars.
There was a fireplace big enough to camp in; and its projecting sides and hood, of carved and pillared
stonework, had the look of a cathedral door.
The rent, torn, and dislocated
stonework looked worse than before; the upheaved foundations, the piled-up fragments of masonry, the fissures in the torn earth--all were at the worst.
My host, who stood on one side of the great fireplace, leaning against the
stonework, made a graceful wave of his hand to the table, and said, "I pray you, be seated and sup how you please.
They paused, however, at the bridge, and, leaning their elbows upon the
stonework, they stood looking down at their own faces in the glassy stream, and at the swift flash of speckled trout against the tawny gravel.
Anyhow, it was always stuck in the
stonework there; and I suppose it came out when the thing collapsed."
Surveyors have discovered that part of the
stonework at Sweetheart Abbey is unsafe.
However, now the worsening condition of the
stonework has resulted in the council's plans to install the 1.33 metre high barriers, despite admitting they are unsympathetic to the almost 200-year-old structure.
Pigeon droppings have a corrosive effect on ancient
stonework - and the birds are also known to sometimes eat mortar, for the grit they need in their diet.
Their droppings are not just a health risk but are also damaging the ancient
stonework in buildings such as the Tamworth Castle and St Editha's church.
At this stage, any potential long-term impact to the
stonework is unclear, but this is something we will be looking into further.