Whixley Church lychgate had not received any maintenance for a long time. It has substantial timbers but because they had not been treated for a while the timbers were starting to dry out to the point where they were starting to crack. In this situation the ideal product is tar oil as it replenishes the wood with natural oils preserving it, keeping dry and reducing the risk of cracking. Tar oil has been used for centuries for this kind of treatment. Having given the wood a good couple of coats of tar oil, this will need another coat in 2 to 3 years. The maintenance cycle following these initial coats will be much more infrequent, with subsequent coats not being required for 5 to 10 years.
