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The Chinese House
The Chinese House is a highly decorative, small, timber-framed structure standing in the Pheasantry, near the Palladian Bridge, at the internationally renowned Stowe Landscape Gardens in Buckinghamshire.
The first reference to the structure can be found in the archives of the Huntingdon Library, in California, which dates the building to around 1738, thus making it the earliest recorded Chinese pavilion in Britain. It is believed to have been designed by the architect and designer William Kent (c1685-1748), who worked on several garden buildings at Stowe during this period.
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History
Various contemporary accounts of the building illustrate its exotic form as a rectangular structure of small size, which sat on a base held up by piles driven into the bed of the pond. Access was gained by crossing a footbridge adorned with ‘Chinese’ vases. B Seeley’s engravings reveal two stylised dolphins at either end of the ridgepole, on a gambrel roof. It is believed that the original scheme on the exterior was by Sleter based on the account of 1742 where it is stated:
‘It is a square building with 4 Lettices and covered with cloth to preserve the lustre of the paintings: in [inside, a figure of] a Chinese lady as if asleep, her hands covered by her gown … the outside of the house is painted in the taste of that nation by Mr Slatea: the inside is japann’d work’.
As none of the original paint survives this is a strong assumption, based on the grounds that he appears to have painted scenes in the Grotto and in Stowe House.
The Chinese House did not remain in the gardens of Stowe for long and it had certainly disappeared by 1751. Evidence points to its re-location to Wotton House by Richard Grenville, the heir to Stowe, who also owned this estate about 20 miles away. Most probably, he wished the grounds at Stowe to follow the themes of classical architectural that were adopted throughout the landscape.
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On the move
An account of 1779 records that a pair of painters each spent three days working on the structure. Even here it was moved around, and a 19th-century wash drawing shows the pavilion standing on an island in the middle of the lake, and later again it was moved closer to the main house.
In 1950 the principal house was used as a preparatory school for boys, who often passed their time by adding their own ‘designs’ to the Chinese House.
Its journey continued in 1959 when it was purchased by Major Michael Beaumont and moved to Harristown House, in Kildare, Ireland. Here the house stayed, with two further moves around the estate, until its origins were identified by Dr Patrick Conner, provoking interest from the National Trust who had taken over the Stowe Estate in 1989.
In 1992, the owner offered the structure to the Trust following concern over its deteriorating state. Funds for the purchase were raised through grants from the Monument 85 Trust, the Pilgrim Trust and from the Alex Clifton Taylor bequest. An appeal in memory of Gervase Jackson-Stops, former Architectural Adviser to the National Trust, subsequently collected funds that paid for its complete restoration.
So it was that in 1997 the Trust was able to embark on a major conservation and restoration programme to conserve this unique building.
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Conservation
As with many conservation projects undertaken by the Trust, the project involved cross-disciplinary working between conservators, curators and the building department. The treatment involved wood and paint conservation disciplines, with the specialists liaising over different aspects of the project to ensure a holistic approach. The structural conservation/restoration was primarily undertaken by Tankerdale Ltd, specialists in the conservation and restoration of historic joinery and furniture, with the contract just under £150,000. The conservation/restoration of the painted surfaces was carried out by Bush and Berry.
The Chinese House is constructed of flush-faced panels of softwood applied to both sides of an oak frame. Each of the four sides of the building are individual units, joined by pegged mortise and tenon joints at the corner, when assembled. These exposed corner joints are covered with pilasters constructed from softwood. There are lattice windows to each end and in the double doors of each side. At the time of the restoration the only remaining parts of the original roof structure were the two small gablets set into the roof. The approximate dimensions of the structure are 3.8m in length by 2.8m in width, and 3.4m in height.
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Poor condition
Both the structure of the building and the painted surfaces were in poor condition. The lower sections of the house and corner pilasters suffered from extensive rot and insect infestation and splitting and shrinkage of the softwood panels. The use of inappropriate repair materials had led to further damage. The exterior painted surfaces were badly cupped and flaking and on two sides of the house, weathering had caused extensive paint loss. The interior surfaces were in better condition but damaged by vandalism and water stains.
The brief for the project had the over-arching aim of returning the structure to a decoratively and structurally stable condition to allow it to be safely displayed once again in the landscape of Stowe. It was stipulated that the repairs must be carried out according to established conservation principles:
- Retaining original timbers wherever possible
- Replacing timbers with those matching the original in species and moisture content, profiled to match the original
- Using traditional adhesives
- The entire process to be recorded, in photographs, notes and drawings, at all stages of the work, and on its completion
The work was carried out in close accordance with these principles. As the work progressed, it became obvious that the attachment between the inner and outer layers of the walls on the longer sides was much less robust than anticipated. The rot damage and old repairs were also more extensive than expected. This, in turn, led to more dismantling of these sides than originally anticipated. Where sections were rotten, these were treated for rot and woodworm and consolidated with Bencon 20 epoxy resin after appropriate stabilisation of the painted surfaces.
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©NTPL / James Mortimer
Matching the grain
Most of the pine timber replacements were of re-used 18th-century Baltic pine, of similar grain and moisture content. The new oak sections were generally constructed utilising new English oak, matching grain and moisture content to the original. Joints, originally bonded with hot animal glue, were treated in the same manner. New splices and patches were joined with West System Epoxy 105 Resin and 205 hardener.
Where inappropriate nailing had been employed restricting the movement of the wood, damage had been caused through expansion and contraction. Less harmful methods were introduced to prevent further damage. This was carried out with the use of beech ‘biscuit’ joints, softwood buttons and non-ferrous fixings.
The majority of the fixings employed were stainless steel screws, counter-bored below the surface of the wood and pelleted to cover the heads. Any original nail fastenings which were rusting were replaced with screws as above, or with stainless steel nails, panel and moulding pins covered with small softwood pellets or diamond-shaped patches.
To allow for the effects of changeable humidity once the building was re-erected outside, some shrinkage cracks were retained. This was to avoid compression of joints as the moisture content of timbers increased and thus safeguard the restored decorative finishes. The cracks would be monitored over a year of changing humidity to ascertain how much they should eventually be filled to maintain the necessary room for fluctuations.
The extent of decay in the roof of the building meant that it was impossible to effect a conservation repair, and a decision was therefore taken to construct a new roof to a design by Fraser Brown, an architect working from Inskip and Jenkins, in consultation with Tankerdale. It had been intended to retain the gablets, believed to be original, however, close examination revealed that they were of questionable date and in poor condition, so exact replicas were created and installed. The new roof, which was framed in oak and clad externally and under the eaves with treated tongued and grooved softwood, was constructed in Tankerdale’s workshop and then transported in sections for re-assembly on site.
Fraser Brown also designed a new elm floor, which was made and fitted by Joe Shingfield of the Trust’s Park Farm Workshops in its Thames and Chilterns region.
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Painted surfaces
The painted surfaces proved to be an interesting challenge as the existing paint layers on the exterior were in poor condition and on two sides were either partially or wholly missing. Paint analysis and X-rays revealed a history of paint loss and re-decoration, with the existing scheme being a complete alteration of the decorative design.
Cleaning tests indicated that the two 12th-century restorations could be removed to reveal the underlying19th century decorative scheme which was relatively intact. Analysis of the interior indicated that the existing scheme was early 19th century so the decision was taken to remove the restorations on the exterior so that the house would present a decorative scheme, on the interior and exterior, of that century.
On the two sides of the house which had suffered extensive paint loss, existing paint was cleaned to reveal the 19th-century decoration and total losses were recreated based on existing 1949 Country Life photographs. Although the house had been restored in 1937, the restoration appeared to recreate the 19th century scheme.
A number of synthetic and traditional varnishes were tested for appearance and durability and, after consolidation and cleaning, small losses were re-touched with dry pigments in Paraloid B72. Recreations of the missing sections were painted in traditional lead-based oil paint. The use of lead paint as opposed to a modern synthetic paint was chosen on the basis that its visual appearance and ageing characteristics would be more in keeping with the original.
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©NTPL / James Mortimer
Maintenance
As with any conservation/restoration programme, the future protection and maintenance of the structure had to be considered. The primary concern for the Chinese House is its exposure to the elements, owing to the inherent fragility of its structure and decoration. To mitigate against this, canvas sheeting was suspended under the eaves from new hooks, attached to fixings in the ground. Such sheeting provides a measure of protection against water and frost, and echoes the canvas awnings with which the building was provided in the 18th century.
Moisture levels inside the building are controlled to a degree by the provision of new ventilation between panel skins and within the structure. The canvas used externally is also ventilated. A yearly inspection of the house is undertaken to record its condition and, where necessary, to undertake minor conservation treatment.
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Conclusion
Close collaboration between various departments of the Trust and high standards of conservation repair have ensured that this unique pavilion has been returned to a stable condition reflecting its exotic appearance after numerous journeys in its 266-year history. With appropriate maintenance it should remain in the landscape at Stowe for the enjoyment of everyone, for many years to come.
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Reference
Jackson-Stops, Gervase, Forgotten but not Lost, in Country Life, Aug 13 1992
Rory Cullen, Head of Building, Nikita Hooper, Administrator – Building, and Christine Sitwell, Paintings Conservation Adviser, Building Conservation Directory, November 2004
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