The project at Clandon Park

2023

Essential works continue

May 2023

‘Essential works’ are the repairs and conservation which, as the name suggests, are essential to the survival of the core structure of the house. Some of the issues we’ve found have pre-dated the fire. Key work included making good headway through the repairs to the brick fabric of the external walls. Working with a brickmaker using the same seam of London Clay, and brickmaking techniques similar to those used to create our original bricks, our heritage bricklayer has replaced and repaired areas where the brickwork was damaged.  

When fire swept through the house several additional issues were created. The building is contaminated by the oxidised lead roof, for example. Research forms part of the essential works, including surveys to check the stability of the remaining structure, and to analyse the remains of wallpaper and paintwork discovered around the building. We’ve discovered tiny fragments of 18th century wallpaper hidden in one room under a picture rail, for example, along with the vibrant blue paint on the wooden wall panelling discovered hidden from view in the State Bedroom before the fire. A specialist in the conservation and restoration of historic building interior and exterior features is analysing the wallpaper and paint to identify what they are made of, when they were made and looking for clues for dating. 

2022

A new direction for Clandon Park

February 2022

The best way to care for something that’s damaged is to really understand how it was made. It would be fair to assume that the red brick exterior of Clandon was chosen simply because the right clay was available close to hand, but it is also furnished with stonework sourced from much further afield.

The team have been working with expert geologists and stonemasons to analyse what types of stone they can find at Clandon, when they may have been used, and how they were transported. So far, they have identified nine different stones which came from as far afield as Bath and Italy.

This research is also unlocking surprising new insights into how the construction of Clandon is linked with different modes of transportation. Specialist materials such timber and stone would have been transported on the Thames to a wharf in London and then down the Wey Navigation and on to Clandon by horse and cart. Many of the historical records that normally document the creation of houses of this kind don’t survive at Clandon to guide our curators, so this makes for a very complex multidisciplinary research project.

July 2022

We announced new plans for the house. We had originally hoped that some restoration at Clandon would be possible, and undertook years of careful investigation and consultation with multi-disciplinary experts from backgrounds like heritage, conservation, engineering, access, sustainability and design. With their advice, we came to realise that our original proposal was not feasible, and carefully developed a new approach which responded to our findings. 
  
The new approach to Clandon celebrates what survives of the 18th century building, and seeks to tell the stories of the many hands who created the house. We will embrace the house’s post-fire significance, sharing the untold stories of those who made it. 

 

September 2022

Since announcing our new plans in July, we have welcomed over 1000 local people to a series of open days and focus groups. We invited them to respond to our approach and take an active part in the development of future interpretation, events, activities and community partnerships.

 

2021

House repairs begin

March 2021

After a challenging year due to Covid-19, the project is able to restart in earnest. This year, subject to planning consents and coronavirus restrictions, essential repair and conservation work will start on the chimney stacks, stone balustrade and damaged brickwork.

To prepare for this, specialist surveys of the brick and stonework are being undertaken. Work is expected to begin in mid-2021 and last at least two years. It will include careful repairs to conserve the remaining brickwork and stonework throughout the house which, remarkably, almost entirely survived the fire.

This conservation work is essential to ensuring the house’s long-term protection and public access, and must take place before future construction work can begin.

 

August 2021

This month saw a crucial new phase begin, kickstarting a £15 million conservation programme to repair the beautiful red brick walls of the house. Thousands of new bricks will be made by traditional family brickmakers over two years to carefully match the colour and texture of those made by local brickmakers 300 years ago.

The brickwork conservation has to take place before anything else can happen to the house, as the external walls must be in the best possible condition. Wider design and planning for the house continues while this is happening and will be shared once it's ready.

Repairing this damage is a crucial step in the National Trust’s long-term project to bring the house back to life.

 

2020

The Covid-19 pandemic hits

March 2020

A rare clock from the 1600s is restored to working order with the help of a horologist. Whilst the clock mechanism was safe inside the visitor centre on the night of the fire, the pendulum was being stored inside the house for conservation work, but luckily was found during the year-long salvage process. The pendulum’s shape was altered during the fire and now features some small dents.

April 2020

The Covid-19 pandemic closes the house and pauses the project. With many staff on furlough, only essential care for the house is able to take place.

August 2020

Following an easing of coronavirus restrictions, the garden at Clandon opens for the local community to enjoy.

October 2020

Members of the Clandon Park project team are among the recipients of grant funding from the Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC) to explore how new digital technology can be used to give visitors a deeper insight into historic buildings and the craft skills that lie hidden beneath their surfaces.

2019

Work continues

May 2019

The assessment of Clandon’s collection is complete. Of an original collection of over 3,000 objects, just over a third were saved or salvaged from the fire. A team of eight experts looked at 1,200 objects over a three-month period to assess their condition and make plans for their future use.

November 2019

Whilst feasibility work continues, thousands of visitors have explored the house in what has been the busiest year since the fire. Many people have shared their responses to the ideas for Clandon’s future.

2018

Design team is appointed

May 2018

The basement spaces open for the first time since the fire and visitors can journey into the most damaged part of the building.

August 2018

To complement the skills of lead architects Allies and Morrison, a design team made up of Price & Myers Structural Engineers, Max Fordham Mechanical and Electrical engineers, Purcell conservation architects, David Bonnett Access Consultants, and Robert Myers Landscape Architects is appointed. Robert Myers is the winner of six gold medals and the People’s Choice Award at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show and is now an RHS gardens show judge.

September 2018

Feasibility work starts on testing Clandon’s future design. The project is divided into workstreams focusing on different elements including architecture, engineering, sustainability, ecology, materials, archaeology, communications, commercial, engagement and landscape.

2017

Design ideas put forward

March 2017

An international design competition is launched, offering talented teams the opportunity to apply their expertise and creative thinking to the future of this important historic building. Malcolm Reading Consultants, specialists in running competitions for museums and arts, heritage and non-profit organisations, were appointed to manage the competition.

April 2017

This month marks two years since the fire. The house opens for a new season of welcoming visitors, with the walkway extended to take in more areas.

May 2017

A shortlist of six award-winning teams has been chosen from 60 entries to progress to the final stage of the Clandon Park International Design Competition. Finalists include established and more emerging architects, from UK and international practices. A jury from the worlds of heritage, architecture, the arts and the local area will judge the finalists.

August 2017

The six shortlisted teams produce designs showing their ideas for the future Clandon Park. The concepts are displayed for visitors to comment on.

December 2017

Allies and Morrison, a multi award-winning architecture and urban planning practice, are chosen to help restore, rebuild and reimagine Clandon Park. They were the unanimous choice of the jury following the design competition. The jury praised the winning team’s bold yet balanced approach, keeping continuity and cohesion whilst allowing for an appropriate level of drama and excitement.

2016

Rewarding rescues and visitors come back

January 2016

Initial proposals for Clandon’s future are announced, which honour its rich history alongside creating a vibrant and modern space to breathe new life into the house.

March 2016

The State Bed is finally rescued from the rubble – this has been a goal since the morning after the fire but impossible to achieve until now. Individual elements of the bed are laid out to air dry and work soon begins to clean and conserve this important object.

May 2016

Highly skilled and qualified abseilers use ropes to begin removing the remaining high-level debris, such as timber beams. They work 20m above the ground using hoists that can carry a tonne of weight.

July 2016

After a year of work the house is finally clear of debris.

September 2016

A walkway into the Saloon opens and visitors are welcomed back into the house for the first time since the fire.

2015

Everything changes

April 2015

A devastating fire broke out on Wednesday 29 April 2015. Everyone was evacuated safely but the fire ravaged the building, damaging all but one room. A well-rehearsed salvage operation was carried out and a proportion of the contents were saved.

May 2015

Clandon remains under the control of Surrey Fire and Rescue Service until 8 May. A project team of National Trust experts is put in place to plan the way forward. Initial surveys are made using 3D lasers and drones.

June 2015

The site is handed over to a contractor. They use two huge cranes to remove large debris and then stabilise the house, meaning the project team can safely enter what remains of the ground floor.

July 2015

After two months of working in any available space, from a caravan to an open gazebo, a salvage village opens. This includes cabins that will become conservation studios where porcelain and plaster finds can be assessed.

September 2015

Contractors arrive to construct an enormous scaffolding cocoon around the house to make it weathertight. Archaeologists begin the task of clearing the house of debris in the hopes of finding collection items buried. A tiny stoneware duck more than 600 years old is the first find – and it’s in remarkably good condition. Visitors are welcomed back for a series of garden open days and they see what remains of the house for the first time.

November 2015

Investigators release their report into the fire and conclude that it was accidental. It was most likely caused by a fault in an electrical distribution board.

December 2015

The massive free-standing scaffold structure around the house is complete. Instead of being tied to the building it’s weighed down with 400 tonnes of ballast. The special roof covering acts like a roller blind, allowing individual sections to be peeled back so that cranes can still access the inside of the house.

The footprint of the scaffold is similar in size to half a football pitch and the total volume is roughly equivalent to two Olympic-sized swimming pools. If all the tubes were taken out and placed end to end, they’d stretch for 32 miles.