OxRBL have a dedicated test wall site located in Wytham Woods, approximately 5 miles from central Oxford. The site contains several purpose-built limestone test walls, as well as a suite of limestone monoliths, and an automatic weather station (with adjunct soil moisture and temperature monitoring equipment).

We have several ongoing projects based at Wytham:

  • Testing the role of soft wall capping in the conservation of ruined monuments (Phase 3)
  • Climate change, moisture régimes and decay of stone monoliths in Southern England
  • Ivy on walls: good or bad? (Phase 2)
  • The role of soil as a method for conserving cultural stone ruins: effects of physical and chemical characteristics on stone weathering.

The Wytham Woods test wall site is managed by Hong Zhang.

A selection of photos of the Wytham test site