W.J. Quist

Replacement of Eocene white sandy limestone in historical buildings: over 100 years of practice in the Netherlands

This paper discusses the replacement of white sandy limestone (Gobertange and Lede or Balegem) in the Netherlands in (successive) restorations from the mid-19th century onwards. White sandy limestone, transported from the southern part of the Low Countries (now Belgium), was extensively used in the northwestern part of the present-day Netherlands in the 14th–16th century. Arguments for (different) choices of replacement stones have been researched and evaluated, in terms of both contemporary perspectives and hindsight. In the period from the second half of the 19th to the late 20th century, various approaches to the choice for replacement stone were found. In this paper, seven periods are distinguished on the basis of specific arguments and criteria that were used for the choice of replacement stone. The paper describes some unexpected combinations of original and restoration material that, most probably, would have never been chosen if only mineralogical composition and origin had been taken into account. Their durability and compatibility are discussed.