Winchester Cathedral is not only famous for its size and magnificent Gothic architecture but also for the underpinning work that was carried out between 1905 and 1912. This work ran into a number of serious problems due to a high-water table and poor ground conditions. The former meant that the underpinning work had to be carried out by a diver, William Walker, who has become a legend for his heroic work.
The need for the underpinning work has seldom been questioned and the purpose of this paper is to examine the evidence on which this key decision was taken. The lessons learned are important for civil engineers and architects called in to advise on the need for the stabilisation of historic buildings and monuments.
The presentation is based on a paper presented to the 3rd TC301 conference: Geotechnical engineering for the preservation of monuments and historic sites held in Naples in 2022.
Speaker
Professor John Burland
Professor Burland will need little introduction to many members of engineering professions due to his prominent role in stabilising the Leaning Tower of Pisa.
Professor Burland joined the Building Research Station in 1966 after a stint at Arup and a PhD at Cambridge and became Head of the Geotechnics Division in 1972 and Assistant Director in 1979. In 1980 he was appointed to the Chair of Soil Mechanics at the Imperial College of Science, Technology and Medicine. He is now Emeritus Professor and Senior Research Investigator at Imperial College.