It has been suggested to me that it would be possible to replace this stone lintel with steel or pre-stressed concrete for a 'reasonable sum' but I am also keen to preserve the symmetry of the building and thus retain the twiddly bits either side, etc. I imagine that reproducing said artistic artifacts (if necessary) would be excessively costly(?)
I (for whom this sort of stuff is a whole new adventure) can't even tell which parts are structural and which purely decorative or indeed how they fit together. Although, obviously, I don't intend to carry out any of this work myself I am very keen to learn about the process and materials, etc.
The damage, which clearly includes the sill has almost certainly been caused by the removal of a large nearby tree many years ago - the rest of this very thick stone walled mid-Victorian period (non-listed) building appears robust and stable.
How would you approach this repair job?
All comments gratefully received!
IJM