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BCD SPECIAL REPORT ON
HISTORIC CHURCHES
22
ND ANNUAL EDITION
23
CHURCH
BRASSWORK
Will Murray
B
RASS IS an alloy of copper and
zinc that has always been favoured
for its beauty and workability. In
ecclesiastical circles it has a long history of
use in fixtures and fittings such as lamps,
chandeliers, gates, rails and door furniture,
as well as more movable objects such as
crucifixes, lecterns, candelabra, jugs, plates
and cups. Musical instruments, especially
hand-bells and cymbals, also come to
mind, and of course brass can be used in
the manufacture of organs and organ pipes.
The Romans made great use of brass,
for instance in their coinage and armour,
and while it has been suggested that the
Jews rejected it precisely because of its
associations with the Roman occupiers of
Palestine, it is likely the Christian church
would have made use of brass from its
earliest days. In medieval times brass
continued to be used although its quality
became much more variable. In the
modern age the increased understanding
of metallurgy and improved methods of
manufacture brought brass objects within
the reach of any parish, with designs
shaped by a variety of influences from the
gothic revival to modernism.
This article looks at some of the
care and conservation issues that can
arise when looking after brass objects.
It excludes the care of monumental
brasses as these tend to have their
own special problems, often due to
their location in floors where they are
vulnerable to accidental damage and
the heavy use that can arise if they
are popular for making rubbings (see
‘Monumental Brasses’ by William Lack
on BuildingConservation.com).
What makes brass so popular for the
manufacture of so many items associated
with churches and religious practice? As
an alloy of copper with zinc, the metal
has a range of colours depending on the
zinc content. The high-zinc brasses may
have up to 40 per cent zinc and are usually
a silvery yellow colour, while a low-zinc
brass with only 5 per cent zinc might tend
towards a pinkish copper colour. The
mid-range brasses, which are the most
common, typically contain 25–35 per
cent zinc and have a warm golden yellow
colour. Thus brass exhibits something
Detail of a chancel screen at Bristol Cathedral: the delicate filigree work is vulnerable to mechanical damage, while the handle of the latch is more exposed to chemical
residues from bare fingers, and the fine details trap residue from polish (Photo: Jonathan Taylor)