Red List Comment Submission

Commenting on: Pargeting, stucco & scagliola

Section one - About you

Section two - Description of the craft

If you are commenting on an existing craft, please select it here and skip the next two questions

Please enter the name of the craft you would like us to add here.

If this is a new craft type please select the most suitable category

Please identify country, region, county or town

Please identify country, region, county or town

Please identify an era/century/approximate historic period.

Heritage Crafts uses a system of four categories of risk to assess the viability of heritage crafts. A heritage craft is considered to be viable if there are sufficient craftspeople to transmit the craft skills to the next generation. For more information on definitions see http://heritagecrafts.org.uk/redlist/categories-of-risk/

Section three - Current numbers of those practising the craft in the UK

People earning their main craft income from this craft (selling, commissions, conservation/ restoration and/or teaching).

People practicing this craft commercially (selling, commissions, conservation/restoration and/or teaching) but as less than half of their income.

People acquiring skills in order to become a professional in this craft, they probably have to work under supervision even if they are earning money while training.

People whose knowledge and ability is at a level of the most skilled practitioners of this craft.

People who do not intend to practice this craft professionally or at the highest level.

Section four - Issues affecting the viability of the craft

Existing content:

Pargeting

  • Lack of awareness: Few people have heard of pargeting so don’t think to ask for it.
    Lack of awareness: Little awareness outside of the heritage building sector, and little is being done to continue traditional plastering skills, which incorporate some of the decorative elements. However, pargeting is being taught at the annual Summer School of the Prince’s Foundation for Building Community to bring awareness to architects, planners and designers as well as crafts/trades people with an interest in heritage building techniques.
  • Lack of awareness: Pargeting is perceived to be very expensive, so if someone sees something they like they would feel that it wouldn’t be something they could afford and therefore wouldn’t even ask the cost
  • Market issues: Small jobs are quite expensive – there are good economies of scale, but most people want a pargeted panel rather than a whole wall.
  • Market issues: Many larger contracts are awarded as a result of competitive tendering to find the lowest price. This is not compatible with traditional ways of working and it tends to reward poor quality work (because good quality work takes time).
  • Market issues: Strongly connected to changing tastes in housing design/architectural style, so not always desirable. There is a growing interest in pargeting for interiors in large houses for games rooms, home cinemas etc.
  • Labour intensive job – doesn’t suit everybody, and also requires considerable artistic talent.
  • A major impediment to promoting the trade is that pargeting is done directly onto the building so it is not easy to show a range of works in an exhibition space – even small panels are heavy.
  • Market issues: There is not always enough work to make pargeting a full-time occupation. Most pargeters also have other skills to earn their living, such as plastering or sculpting.
  • Legislation: The lack of work is partly due to the strict conservation regulations.
  • Market issues: Shortage of work due to strict conservation regulations, lack of suitable buildings, lack of awareness by the public, and also to the high cost of pargeting.
  • Training issues: Aspects of plastering which were taught as commonplace some 50-60 years ago as part of apprenticeships have been whittled out in modern tech colleges and courses to make way for a much more ‘universal’ approach.

Stucco

  • Market issues: Strongly connected to changing tastes in housing design/architectural style, so not always desirable. There is a growing interest in pargeting for interiors in large houses for games rooms, home cinemas etc.
  • Loss of skills: Most skills are held by conservators and there is only a very small demand for new stucco

Scagliola

  • Lack of awareness: The main challenges are lack of education on scagliola within heritage plastering and that filters through to problems in conserving it – i.e. mis-identification and sometimes damaging repairs.
  • Market issues: Scagliola is known to high end interior designers and architects internationally, ensuring its profile remains high. The demographic for commissioning large scale scagliola interiors is wealthy and international. Despite this, there is little understanding of the material, both regarding its manufacture and its conservation.
  • Skills issues: The 16 people employed full time are employed by a single company, which leaves these skills vulnerable to any challenges the business itself may come up against.
  • Lack of support for training: Self-employed craftspeople in the field are rarely in a position to fund trainees or apprentices and there is little to no governmental assistance to help facilitate the passing on of these skills.

 

 

e.g. lack of qualifications, funding for training etc.

If yes, please describe the issues below

e.g. lack of demand for products/skills etc.

If yes, please describe the issues below

Tick the box if there are difficulties with the supply of raw materials, allied materials or tools

If yes, please describe the issues below

i.e. issues around running any small business, not just crafts

If yes, please describe the issues below

Is the main workforce made up of people who are approaching retirement age?

If yes, please describe the issues below

e.g. legal restrictions on materials, health and safety etc.

If yes, please describe the issues below

e.g. Brexit, Covid-19, conflict

If yes, please describe the issues below

Please describe any other issues

Section five - Current Initiatives to preserve craft skills

Please describe any UK projects or schemes

Section six - Main players in the craft – please tell us who you know about

Please list any known practitioners of this craft — add a row item for each person or business and complete the fields to the best of your knowledge. To get started click the `Add practitioner` button below.

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Section seven - Optional additional information

It may include when and where the craft developed, how it has changed over time, etc.

e.g. festivals, religious celebrations, agricultural practices, music, dance etc.

e.g. religious, ethnic, social class. Please give an overview of the techniques involved in the craft.

This may involve different materials, techniques, styles or finished products.

e.g. books, websites etc.