The North & South Courts are some of its oldest parts of the V&A, dating from 1861-63 and its early development as the South Kensington Museum from 1857. The repairs to these historic roofs were an essential step in a wider programme of conservation and repair to this part of the Museum. The works enhance the weatherproofing function of the roofs and improve maintenance access as well as providing increased stability to the environmental conditions within the galleries below. Local repairs to decayed areas of significant historic structure were carried out to window framing, timber walkways, and plasterwork at the same time as renewal of non-original and deteriorated roofing materials to the roofs and replacement of window units dating from the 1950s.