1989
Rose of Jericho is born…
Rose of Jericho first traded from the Jericho Works at Deene near Corby, Northamptonshire, managed by Peter Hood who had originally trained under John Fowler.
Rose of Jericho was founded in the late 1980s in the period immediately after the ‘lime method', developed by Eve and Robert Baker, was employed so successfully for the repair and conservation of the figure sculptures on the West Front of Wells Cathedral.
These were exciting times, born of the recognition that non-permeable mortars, plasters and paints were inappropriate for, and indeed often accelerated the decay of our built heritage.
The use of lime was a near-forgotten practice, as cement mortars, gypsum plasters and non-breathable emulsion paints had become the norm. Building construction books and courses only mentioned lime as a workability additive for cement mortars.
This had to change !
Rose of Jericho first traded from the Jericho Works at Deene near Corby, Northamptonshire, managed by Peter Hood who had originally trained under John Fowler.
St Blaise was a specialist Dorset-based historic building conservation company with an enviable reputation founded by a group of talented individuals led by the late Ian Constantinides. Lime mortars, plasters and traditional paints were manufactured for use on their own projects, St Blaise recognised that the purchase of Rose of Jericho would strengthen and help develop the materials side of the business.
St Blaise assembled a team of craftsmen at the forefront of the lime revival at a time when interest in traditional materials and methods were undergoing a renaissance. Peter Ellis, a Project Manager at St Blaise with a background in the conservation of paintings became responsible for Rose of Jericho at St Blaise in 1992.
By 2001, Rose of Jericho had outgrown the premises in Evershot that it shared with St Blaise Ltd and mortar, paint and materials manufacture and supply was moved to a bigger site at Horchester Farm between Yeovil and Dorchester where it continues to this day.
In 2003, St Blaise itself experienced financial difficulties and Peter Ellis completed a management buy-out. Rose of Jericho Ltd was reborn and continued to develop and expand its product range focused on authenticity and quality during Peter’s ownership
The Company grew steadily during this period, and Rose of Jericho products have been used in countless prestigious projects and on many of the most iconic and culturally important buildings including all five mainland Historic Royal Palaces, many Cathedrals and countless Stately Homes in both public and private ownership.
Although beyond retirement age and having passed the management of the Company to the next generation, Peter is still actively involved and continues to provide expert materials analysis and consultancy for a wide range of historic building projects, and leads the popular interactive CPD sessions that the Company now offers to Architects, Surveyors and Property Managers.
Rose of Jericho continues to enjoy a strong reputation at the forefront of the building conservation industry. We undertake research, analysis and consultancy whilst manufacturing and supplying authentic handmade materials for the care, repair and maintenance of historic and traditional buildings.
We have had the pleasure of working with many organisations to help preserve and protect our traditional buildings.
Since Rose of Jericho was established we have aimed to produce the very best handmade products, using traditional materials and methods and we are always interested to hear from talented, enthusiastic individuals who share our ethos.
We offer work experience, work placement and apprenticeship opportunities to encourage the next generation of conservators and heritage professionals to join the industry.
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