Restoring Peal Boards

[Martin Jones]

Scenario:	a 100 year old peal board is gradually decaying due to its
location in the tower - over time, sunlight has damaged the shellac varnish
to the extent that it will "soon" (in 5-10 years!) be impossible to read the
text on the board. It's too late to move the board out of the direct light,
the damage has been done.

What experiences do people have about restoring boards? We have received a
quote from a local signwriter to strip the board's surface and recreate the
lettering, but do we a) need to contact EH, b) get a faculty? What if we
didn't actually tell anybody about this? Could we get in trouble for going
ahead and doing the work without getting permission? Our incumbent is
supportive but has suggested that we find out what other towers would do in
this situation.

Any thoughts? We have a number of other boards from the 19th Century that
also need similar attention...

thanks
Martin Jones

St Nicholas, Harwich, Essex