Fundraising at Charlecote Park

2019

Changing the climate appeal

Charlecote’s Victorian central heating system is incredibly old, inefficient, and expensive to run on oil and electricity. The patchy heating means that temperature and humidity inside the house are constantly fluctuating. These constant changes in climate conditions are not good for the collection. It can provide the perfect breeding ground for mould and pests. In 2019 we raised money to replace the heating system for a more energy-efficient, cheaper to run system that will help us to maintain and control a steady temperature and humidity for the long-term benefit of the collection and environment. This work is started in November 2021 and will continue into 2023.

2018

Restoring the range appeal

From floor to ceiling, the Tack Room is filled with original pieces of equipment from the historic hub of the stables collection, including all the fixtures and fittings. But the old fireplace that is central to this room needs some TLC. The fire hood is broken and when we light a fire in the range, the smoke goes the wrong way and fills the room instead of drifting up the chimney! The money raised from the 2018 raffle will enable us to hire a specialist stone mason and iron worker to make the necessary repairs to the range and fireplace hood. We’ll then be able to safely light a fire to bring the space to life and keep our volunteers warm in the winter. The additional heat will also improve air flow and conditions for the collection. 

2017

A world of difference appeal

With over 200 years of use, the 18th-century celestial and terrestrial globes in the library needed specialist conservation work to repair two centuries’ worth of damage. Over time, the varnish on the globes had darkened to become brown losing many of the intricate details. They desperately needed cleaning and the rotating middle span of each globe had become worn from spinning and needed replacing. Historic repairs created more challenges for conservators with old glues and additional layers of varnish causing further splits and staining that needed work. One of the globes also had an interesting rattle, where a bag of lead shot inside it for weighting, had split. 

With the money raised both globes were sent to a specialist conservator in London and two years later, after 100 hours' worth of work each, they returned to Charlecote fully restored.  

2016

Lime avenue appeal

Lime Avenue marks the original old road from Wellesbourne to Stratford. Many of the 133 trees date back to the early 18th century and were badly in need of arboreal restoration and conservation work. The money raised paid for a specialist team from Midlands Arboricultural Services to remove dead and unstable timber and reduce the canopies at the top of the trees. This reduced the weight that the ancient tree limbs had to bear and improved the trees’ longevity. 

The funds to complete this project were raised through the property raffle, which raised £13,080 towards the work.

2015

Wildflower meadow appeal

In 2015, funds raised from the sale of raffle tickets were used to buy thousands of wildflower plug plants. Flooding had previously washed away the wildflower seed mix before the seeds had a chance to germinate. Plug plants were used to secure roots down into the warm, summer soil and be ready for whatever winter had in store! We introduced native flowers and grasses to increase the biodiversity of the meadow and benefit a whole host of insects, bees, and butterflies. Now the seeds spread naturally.  

The land is still prone to flooding every winter, but the wildflower plants hold firm and can be seen over spring and summer in full bloom. Since 2015, we’ve planted another 3,500 plants and set up an annual volunteer-led butterfly monitoring group to observe the yearly changes in biodiversity.