Surviving treasures at Clandon Park

A close-up of gloved hands cleaning the broken head of a statue with a brush following the fire at Clandon Park. — A conservator at work, Clandon Park | © National Trust Images/James Dobson

Before the devastating fire in 2015, Clandon Park held a rich collection of the types of object you would expect to find in a country house. Learn how, although the fire destroyed much of this collection, determined rescue efforts meant that over 500 objects were saved that fateful night, including ceramics, textiles and paper.

Surviving against the odds

Objects rescued after fire include paintings, furniture, sculpture, silverware and ceramics, as well as a significant group of New Zealand and Pasifika related material. They had been mostly collected by members of the Onslow family over the years but included a large, additional collection given to the National Trust by the collector Hannah Gubbay in 1969.

Collection objects are physical evidence of the purpose of the house and of the lives lived at Clandon. These survivals will allow the stories of the house to continue being told, along with those of the people who have lived, worked and visited here over the centuries.

Saved from the flames

From books and accounts written by members of the family and silverware and ceramics made by master craftsmen, to personal trinkets kept as mementos, the range of objects that survived is testament both to the preparedness of staff and the efforts of Surrey Fire and Rescue.

Almost 30 paintings were saved – including works by great artists such as William Hogarth, Godfrey Kneller and Francis Barlow – some of which had to be hastily cut from their frames to be taken to safety.

The curtains from the State Bed and four accompanying chairs, dating from around 1710, were another important survival, carried out of the house by firemen from the State Bedroom.

Clandon’s ‘ghost’ collection

Objects that were lost in the fire – the ‘ghost’ collection – are still an important part of Clandon’s history and aren’t forgotten. Photographs and documentation mean the team can continue to think about, research, learn from, share, and tell the story of these objects and the wider significance they hold in the story of Clandon.

Rescued from the ashes

In addition to the objects that were saved on the night, archaeologists carefully looked through the debris after the fire and a further 500 objects were salvaged. Amongst these are some extraordinary stories of survival.

A Korean stoneware water dropper in the shape of a duck, at Clandon Park 13th Jan 2016 - damaged after the fire. — A Korean stoneware duck-shaped water dropper, damaged after the fire. | © National Trust Images/James Dobson

Celadon stoneware duck

This little duck survived the fire relatively unscathed despite falling from the first floor and dodging both a collapsing wall and a falling roof. It was the first object carefully picked from the ash in the remains of the Saloon by archaeologists, four months after the fire. Made in South Korea during the Koryô / Goryeo dynasty (which dates it between 918 and 1392), the figure would have been moulded from stone and then incised to create the feathers and other features. The duck would have held a small amount of water, which would have been carefully tipped to wet a hard ink stone one drop at a time.

Porcelain rabbit

Previously on display in a cabinet in the first-floor Blue China Room, this rabbit made its way not just through the fire but down one storey through a collapsing floor and ceiling. One of a pair, the rabbit was made in China from porcelain between about 1720 and 1799. He came to Clandon Park in 1969 as part of the collection donated by Hannah Gubbay. Despite his traumatic journey our cotton-tailed friend has fared incredibly well. He's completely intact and, following a wet cleaning process, has regained his glossy appearance and true colour.

A gloved hand holding a small tool scrapes debris from a tapestry following the fire at Clandon Park — An archaeologist works on a tapestry found under the State Bed at Clandon Park | © National Trust Images/James Dobson

Queen Anne needlework

Stored away in a box under the State Bed when the fire broke out, the survival of this needlework panel is remarkable. Dating from the early 18th century, this rare and high-status item is a work of woven silk and wool. It features depictions of European trees and flowers, which the makers have combined with their Western ideas of Asian symbolism, a common aesthetic style of the day. Despite some water damage the needlework is in surprisingly good condition. You can still see all the elements of the picture and it’s hoped that this piece can be conserved so that it can be safely displayed and enjoyed in the future.

An open book showing a page full of names and signatures from the war hospital at Clandon Park — A book containing signatures of all military patients at Clandon Hospital during the First World War | © National Trust / Katrina Royall

First World War hospital records

The Hospital Record Book was one of the items saved on the night of the fire in 2015. It contains the signatures of many of the 5,069 soldiers who were cared for at Clandon during its time as a hospital during the First World War. Also rescued from the fire was an autograph book owned by one of the Voluntary Aid Detachment (VAD) nurses, which shows the friendships that were made during this period. The little black book is filled with names, poems and jokes and is illustrated with cartoons and photographs. For some nurses and soldiers these friendships turned to love and marriage.

The State Bed

Dismantling and removing the damaged State Bed after the fire was one of the most complicated recovery operations. The bed, dating from around 1710, represented the high status and royal connections of the Onslow family. The project team worked together to carefully dismantle the frame, untangle the textile trimmings and painstakingly carry out each individual element of the bed.

Watch the recovery operation

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The Speakers’ Parlour

The Onslow family provided three Speakers for the House of Commons through the centuries, each presiding over House debates and maintaining order. These men were celebrated in the Speakers' Parlour. Furthest from the fire, this room survived almost intact. Decisive action after the fire to support the room’s precious plasterwork ceiling means we will now be able to conserve and restore it using traditional heritage skills.

Rescued items

Objects taken to safety included personal items belonging to Speaker Arthur Onslow, including his silver christening cup and silk stocking. Remarkably, the carved mahogany side tables and the large dining table and its suite of chairs were passed out of the window. Smaller items such as porcelain and delicate gilt-etched glassware were also saved.

All the paintings hanging in the room, including the huge portraits of Arthur Onslow and Richard Onslow, were rescued on the day of the fire, although the large gilded frames were too heavy and awkward to remove.

Saving the ceiling

It is remarkable that the decorative plaster ceiling by the artist Guiseppe Artari survived, despite the fire and water. It was carefully propped in the days following the fire and this undoubtedly saved it from total collapse. The original chimneypiece, designed by Giacomo Leoni, also survived.

Meal props support the ornate ceiling in the fire-damaged Speakers' Parlour at Clandon Park — Ceiling supports in the Speakers' Parlour at Clandon Park | © Nation Trust Images

Historic wallpaper at Clandon

Apart from tiny fragments from other rooms, the historic wallpaper in the Speakers’ Parlour is the only paper that survived. Closer inspection found five layers of paper – three that were known about and two that we had no record of – with the earliest dating to the late 18th century.

The two oldest layers of wallpaper here were not sold as long rolls as the later additions were. These were manufactured in small sheets (equivalent to about A3 size), which were pasted on to a stretched hessian scrim backing. These sheets of high-quality paper made with finely chopped rags were painted to give a flat, uniform appearance, in this case in a beautiful light grey-mauve.