National Trust Annouces Plans To Bring Clandon House Back To Life

Published on: 18 Jan, 2016
Updated on: 21 Jan, 2016

The National Trust will be restoring the ground floor rooms of the five-ravaged Clandon House to their former glory, with its upper floors transformed to create modern flexible spaces for exhibitions, events and performances.

Remains of the marble hall at Clandon House: Picture National Trust.

It is being described by the National Trust as its biggest conservation project in a generation, with the money coming largely from insurance claims.

Fire swept through the 18th-century house on April 29 last year, leaving damage to about 95% of the building.

There have recently been calls by members of the Onslow family, who gifted the house and grounds to the National Trust in 1956, to not restore the building.

While firefighters have criticised delays in getting water supplies as they tried to fight the blaze.

Click here for the National Trust’s website for Clandon Park with full details of the plans.

Responses to National Trust Annouces Plans To Bring Clandon House Back To Life

Martin Elliott Reply

January 25, 2016 at 2:42 pm

Conservation is the arresting of deterioration. The proposals here are for restoration to perceived original standard or to actually demolish and build a replica.

The real problem is the National Trust and other heritage organisations have consistently failed in their core responsibility.

Whilst the organisations did well on preparation of emergency response and ‘saved’ much of the fabric, the claim that the technology and equipment to prevent and protect older buildings is misleading and incorrect.

Indeed if it was true, the organisation would be working had to improve.

On this incident, as with others, some surveys of risks and hazards had been carried out.

However, left hanging is the admission that possibly the main cause on the fire had been identified, but nothing done to reduce the risk.
Ngaire Wadman Reply

January 26, 2016 at 1:08 pm

I didn’t see anything about demolition in the National Trust plans.

In fact, the walls of the house are in remarkably good condition, as is much of the basement level.

I look forward to seeing Clandon rise from the ashes – once they’ve been fully examined to retrieve more of the Gubbay china collection!

This is an enormously exciting project, with the potential to use local craftsmen and 18th century building techniques.

The windows alone are technically of great interest and very rare examples of Georgian metalwork.