The salvage phase at Clandon Park

At the end of July 2016, following just over a year of work, we completed the initial phase of our project. Our archaeological salvage work has produced remarkable finds including objects that survived the fire miraculously preserved. Learn more from our project team about each of these objects, their individual disciplines and the unique challenges they faced in their specialist roles.

Archaeologists at work at Clandon Park
Rooms cleared of debris
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  • The Library at Clandon Park

    Secrets of the Library 

    The Library survived the fire with important features still intact and secrets to share. Project Curator Sophie Chessum tells us more about a room that's a tale of two halves.

  • The restaurant in the basement spaces at Clandon Park

    A journey into the basement 

    Damaged to vastly differing degrees, the basement has proved an interesting challenge. Nathan Buckell talks about our work in this area of the house and the features we’ve discovered.

  • A portrait of the Great Speaker with Walpole

    The Speakers' Parlour 

    Before the recent fire the three Onslows to hold the title of Speaker of the House of Commons were celebrated in the Speakers' Parlour. Miraculously much of this room survived the fire intact.

  • The saloon at Clandon Park

    The Saloon 

    Robert Maxwell, our project archaeologist, describes what’s happening in the saloon and the techniques we're using to recover items.

Video still taken from the 360 video footage inside Clandon Park

Clandon Park one year on, a 360° tour 

Taken a year on from the fire, this 360° video gives you an immersive view of our ongoing salvage operation and the progress we’ve made. It begins with our conservators working on the State Bed in the Marble Hall, continuing into the other cleared rooms seen here for the first time.

The Marble Hall

The Marble Hall at Clandon Park following the fire

The ceiling 

Suspended from the rafters above the Marble Hall, was the elaborate plaster ceiling attributed to the noted stuccoist Guiseppe Artari. During our salvage work, we’ve discovered thousands of plaster fragments giving us enough to eventually reconstruct those beautiful, ornate ceilings.

Salvage experts at work in the Marble Hall

The fireplaces 

A joyous discovery in the aftermath of the fire, the survival of the Rysbrack fireplaces and overmantel reliefs in the Marble Hall has sustained our optimism and helped to inform our vision for the future of the house.

Found objects
Chinese porcelain rabbit found during salvage at Clandon Park

Porcelain rabbit 

Continuing our series on objects found in the house following the fire, we’re delighted to bring you some more happy news. Found during the salvage of the State Bedroom just before Easter 2016, this little porcelain bunny couldn’t have timed his rescue from the house any better.

Curator holding the stoneware duck

Stoneware duck 

China objects are incredibly fragile aren't they? We've found that this isn't always the case. Our tiny stoneware duck, the first object to be found by our archaeologists when salvage began, experienced an extraordinary flight through fire.

Salvage team cleaning a ceramic find

Other surviving ceramics 

Samantha Taylor, our project conservator, explains more about the processing of collection objects taking place at Clandon Park. She describes the effects of extreme temperatures on ceramics, how we keep track of every fragment and the techniques we're using to clean and reinstate items.

Archaeologists at work in the State Bedroom

The State Bed 

The State Bed was one of the most important items in our collection, an iconic object emblematic of the Onslow family and of Clandon Park itself. Our project curator Sophie Chessum discusses this incredible survival story and charts our journey to rescue the bed from the house.

The needlework screen recovered at Clandon Park

Needlework screen 

Stored under the State Bed were several collection boxes. One contained the only needlework to have survived the fire, protected by a sodden horse hair mattress. Find out how it endured a trial by fire and water and see our Project Conservator Samantha Taylor peel back its protective cover for the first time.

Cleaning the State Bed at Clandon Park

Textile conservation 

Since rescuing the State Bed at Clandon, we've been letting individual elements naturally air dry. Now we've been able to begin the delicate cleaning process on these grandly embellished textiles.

Project innovations
Rope access operatives working at Clandon Park

Abseiling 

Our project at Clandon regularly requires innovative solutions to interesting challenges. Discover how we’re using rope access operatives to help us continue our progress in clearing the house.

A cross section cut through one of the beams removed from Clandon Park

Dendrochronology 

Following the fire at Clandon and our initial salvage work we were presented with a rare opportunity to solve a historical mystery. Using dendrochronology and the beams that once formed the skeleton of the house we’ve made some interesting discoveries.

Archaeologists at work at Clandon Park

Archaeology 

The archaeologists working at Clandon have undertaken a huge task in clearing the house of debris and discovering priceless treasures hidden in the ash. Cat Edwards from AOC Archaeology Group tells us about her team’s extraordinary work.

The west front and porte cochere surrounded by scaffolding

Scaffold structure 

A massive free-standing scaffold structure has been built to completely surround Clandon Park, cocooning the building to keep it safe from the Great British weather and allowing us to continue important work on the house.

Cranes at Clandon Park

Cranes at Clandon 

Have you noticed a change in the skyline above Clandon Park recently? Find out about the addition of the two large cranes to our site. Discover the work that they're doing and get a glimpse of day-to-day life on site from our project Building Surveyor Nathan Buckell.

More from the team
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  • Dame Helen Ghosh in the Marble Hall at Clandon Park

    First steps to restoration 

    As we near the end of the salvage operation we can start to share the next steps in our planning for the restoration phase of the project.

  • A caravan in front of the house at Clandon Park

    One year on 

    Find out more about the situation we found ourselves during the early days, the huge strides we’ve made through a year of hard work, and our hopes for the future of the house and collection.

  • The fire damaged Marble Hall

    A Curator's exeprience 

    Sophie Chessum, our project curator, tells us more about her experiences on the night of the fire and the work that she and the project team are now doing to safeguard the future of our house.

  • The parterre garden at Clandon Park

    A view from the garden team 

    Much has changed in the garden since the fire. Hear from Dan Bennett, our Senior Gardener, about the work he and his team did following the fire to help facilitate the salvage.