Opinion: We Should Restore Clandon House

Published on: 22 Jan, 2025
Updated on: 22 Jan, 2025

Clandon Park House taken in 2014.

How Clandon House should be repaired following the devasting fire that occurred a decade ago has divided opinion. Should it be restored to look, as far as possible, as it did before the fire or is it an opportunity to present the building in a different way?

Here architect Neils Laub argues the case for restoration.

By Niels Laub

Architect

Following the devastating fire at Clandon Park in 2015, the National Trust’s initial decision was that the superb ground floor interiors at Clandon, which constituted the house’s chief significance, would be restored, with a degree of flexibility in the treatment of other, lesser spaces on the upper floors.

This decision was later overturned in 2022 when the philosophy of restoration was dropped in favour of a hard-line application of “conserve as found” principles to conserve the house as a ruin which is reflected in the current planning application (24/P/01681).

I urge you to object to this application, and I will try to explain why.

The significance of Clandon Park Built in 1730, Clandon Park is a Grade I Listed Mansion House with associated listed structures all set within the West Clandon Conservation Area and the Grade II Registered Park and Garden.

Clandon Park is unquestionably of national importance being one of the earliest examples of Palladian architecture in England. It is a rare surviving example of the work of the Venetian architect Giacomo Leoni.

The Marble Hall, probably one of the best examples of its type in England, and considered one of Leoni’s masterpieces, was the architectural centrepiece of the mansion containing fireplaces with fine overmantel reliefs carved by Flemish sculptor John Michael Rysbrack and a truly magnificent stucco ceiling which has been attributed to the most famous of the Swiss stuccadores, Giuseppe Artari.

One of the two marble fireplaces in the Marble Hall by Flemish sculptor John Michael Rysbrack which survived the fire.

Giacomo Leoni described himself as a Venetian architect but largely made his career outside Italy. In 1715 he published the first instalment of his English version of Palladio’s Four Books of Architecture, which was a milestone in the revival of interest in Andrea Palladio in this country and became highly influential in the evolvement of Georgian architecture.

Unfortunately, most of his known commissions have either been demolished or altered. Until the devastating fire in 2015, Clandon was the best preserved of his buildings.

The glory of the house was certainly its interiors. These began immediately on entering with the Marble Hall, a 40-foot cube that John Cornforth, in the original National Trust guidebook, called “unquestionably among the grandest of all eighteenth-century interiors”.

A more recent author, Charles O’Brien, in the Buildings of England volume for Surrey, described it as “one of the grandest early Palladian rooms in England reminiscent of Houghton Hall in Norfolk built for Sir Robert Walpole”.

The arguments for and against conservation and restoration

Conservation aims to preserve and protect historic buildings in their current state. The focus is on maintaining the original materials, structure, and character, and preventing further deterioration without significantly altering the building. Any modern interventions should be clearly delineated as contemporary and ideally reversable.

This approach is only truly effective where significant amounts of the original building which provide its architectural and cultural value still survive and are capable of protection. Clandon Park suffered a catastrophic fire in 2015 and most of the interior, which provided its cultural and architectural value, was destroyed.

Remains of the marble hall at Clandon House National Trust

Restoration on the other hand involves returning a historic building to its original state, using modern techniques and materials where necessary. The objective is to recreate the appearance of the building as it once was. This can make the building look and function as it did originally and provide a vivid and engaging representation of the past.

However, this approach is often expensive and may require skilled labour and detailed research. It is also only viable where extensive records of the original fabric and design are available.

In the case of Clandon Park, extensive records do survive, sufficient to ensure an extremely accurate reconstruction of its interiors. Such restoration also provides an opportunity to rediscover forgotten skills and crafts.

The devastating fire at Clandon House took place in April 2015.

Recent precedents

In many European countries, like Germany, Poland, Italy and Russia, many great war-damaged monuments and buildings have been beautifully restored to their original state.

Today the rebuilt palaces and churches of Dresden, Warsaw, Wurzburg, Berlin and St Petersburg are celebrated for their rebirth, and the beauty that has thereby been recovered.

In England too there are many recent examples of buildings badly damaged by fire that have also been restored to their original state.

The fire of April 2015 at Clandon was only the latest in a number of serious fires at historic buildings throughout England, notably York Minster (1984), Hampton Court Palace (1986), Uppark in Sussex (1989) and Windsor Castle (1992). In each case an ambitious programme of restoration, involving high levels of craft skill, resulted in a triumphant outcome.

Following the devastating fire at Uppark in 1989 the Trust considered three basic options: to retain the shell as a controlled ruin; restore the exterior but give it a modern interior that was ‘of our own time’; or restore the whole house as nearly as possible to its appearance before the fire.

In the event the National Trust took the decision to go for complete reinstatement largely driven by the terms of the insurance. This decision was based on the desire to preserve the historical authenticity and unique character of the house.

The restoration involved rediscovering forgotten skills, such as rococo plasterwork, and using historically accurate materials and techniques to recreate the original decor. This approach not only honoured the house’s heritage but also set a new standard for conservation projects. The National Trust won richly deserved plaudits for its restoration of Uppark in 1989-95.

At Windsor Castle, after the devastating fire in November 20 1992, and after much debate, a decision was taken to restore the castle back to its original condition. The restoration was a significant undertaking, costing around £36.5 million and taking five years to complete.

The decision to restore the castle was taken to preserve its historical and cultural significance, ensuring that future generations could continue to appreciate its architectural beauty and heritage.

The decision to conserve Clandon Park as a ruin

The recent decision by the Trust to conserve and creatively curate the house as “a country house laid bare” is in marked contrast to the decision to restore Uppark.

The Trust has claimed that, in the Marble Hall, insufficient material has survived from the ornate stucco ceilings and that therefore any restoration would not guarantee an accurate and skilful reconstruction. However, the ability to re-use a significant proportion of original material in a stucco ceiling does not necessarily guarantee an accurate and skilful reconstruction, nor is such a reconstruction impossible without it.

A corner detail of a Rococo stucco ceiling in the Nationalmuseet in Copenhagen Wikipedia

The fact remains that there are enough fragments of stucco to allow an accurate analysis of its composition and enough photographic evidence to allow the recreation of an extremely accurate 3D model of the ceilings. The only difference would be in the craftsmen themselves who will be recreating the ceilings. Moreover, the fireplaces and overmantels by John Michael Rysbrack, which are fundamental to the design of the Marble Hall, are largely intact.

That the loss of wall panelling has revealed interesting information about the building process is not to be unexpected, and far more remarkable discoveries found under the charred panelling at Hampton Court Palace in 1986 did not prevent the reinstatement of those interiors. In my opinion, the preservation of construction methods should not justify a wholesale change of approach. Surely photographic records would be sufficient to capture interesting historic evidence of the building process.

Apparently, if the National Trust had decided to fully restore the interior of Clandon House, the insurance would have covered the costs, as the insurance payout was specifically for the restoration of the original house. However, the Trust’s decision to conserve the house as a ruin will now result in the funds not being used for a full restoration.

We should set a new standard for conservation

I am not the only one who disagrees with the Trust’s decision to preserve the house as a ruin. The house is Listed Grade I and is undoubtedly of National importance, being one of the earliest examples of Palladian architecture in England.

The interiors are amongst the finest examples of Georgian architecture in the UK and are unquestioningly the most significant and important feature of this building.

As I have shown, there are many recent examples of decisions to restore important historical buildings in the UK following catastrophic fires namely at York Minster, Hampton Court Palace, Uppark in Sussex and Windsor Castle.

The approach taken on those projects has not only honoured the heritage of some of our finest buildings but also set a new standard for conservation while recovering and restoring important cultural assets for the benefit of society.