RESTORATIONS range from an historic cast piece found in a garden to smoke damaged plaster works from the Glasgow School of Art.

The Edinburgh-based expert Graciela Ainsworth is now restoring a piece of Coate stone, a type of cast dating to between the 18th and 19th centuries, in the form of a royal coat of arms that has lost its original place.

It is being carried out for a private collection by the Bonnington firm.

If was only found when the owners moved to their new West of Scotland home. They were intrigued and enamoured by the work.

The casting is named after its inventor Eleanor Coade and adorns public buildings and stately homes around the country.

Culzean Castle in Ayrshire, Duff House Mausoleum, Aberdeenshire, Captain Bligh's tomb in Lambeth and the entrance to Rio de Janeiro's zoo all have examples of the hard-wearing material based on a double-casting method.

The restorer said: “The piece was made sometime between the 1700s and 1800s. There is another one that has supports but they are missing here. Perhaps they are in another garden.

"We might find the lion and unicorn somewhere else.

"The owners wanted it to be conserved.,

“It is quite rare.”

Coade stone coats of arms associated with army barracks have sometimes been lost or sold as the facilities have closed.

The artist checked the work with the Lord Lyon and Historic Scotland in an effort to discover any provenance but its original place is yet to be identified.

While the restoration at the Glasgow School of Art, where fire ripped through the historic library in 2014, is privileged work it is also emotional, the sculptor, who is originally from Newcastle, said.

She is restoring plaster cast work at the building that was devastated by the blaze.

She said: "It is desperately upsetting.

"The pieces that are burned have a very different look. They are extremely beautiful and completely different visually."

The plaster casts, some dating to the 18th century, are being assessed for restoration.

Graciela Ainsworth Sculpture Conservation is has taken on restoration of sculpture and architectural ornaments with clients including the National Galleries of Scotland, the National Trust for Scotland, the National Museums.

Among her other work has been restoration at Little Sparta, the Garden of Ian Hamilton Finlay in South Lanarkshire, after having met the artist and maintained a relationship with the trust that runs the unique site.