1989
Rose of Jericho is born…
The Rose of Jericho first traded in Corby, Northamptonshire, the brainchild of Peter Hood who had originally worked under the direction of John Fowler.
Rose of Jericho was founded in the late 1980s in the period immediately after the ‘lime method’ was employed so successfully for the repair and conservation of the West Front of Wells Cathedral.
These were exciting times, born from the recognition that non-permeable mortars, plasters and paints were inappropriate, and indeed often accelerated the decay of our built heritage.
The use of lime was a nearly-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 in cement mortars.
This had to change!
The Rose of Jericho first traded in Corby, Northamptonshire, the brainchild of Peter Hood who had originally worked under the direction of John Fowler.
This original incarnation was not commercially stable, and Rose of Jericho ‘merged’ with St Blaise Ltd, a specialist Dorset-based conservation building company with an enviable reputation. Rose of Jericho at St Blaise Ltd was born.
St Blaise had assembled a team of craftsmen at the forefront of the lime revival at a time when knowledge of traditional lime techniques was 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.
In 2001, manufacture was moved to a bigger site at Horchester Farm between Yeovil and Dorchester where it continues to this day.
Peter Ellis completed a management buy-out in 2003 when St Blaise experienced financial difficulties, and Rose of Jericho Ltd has continued to develop and expand its product range focused on authenticity and quality during Peter’s ownership.
Over the decades Rose of Jericho products have been used in countless prestigious projects and on many of the most iconic and culturally important buildings in Britain and further afield.
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 consultancy and materials analysis for a range of customers from cottage owners to the Royal Household.
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 exemplary handmade products 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 strived 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.