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.

Rooms cleared of debris

The restaurant in the basement spaces at Clandon Park

A portrait of the Great Speaker with Walpole

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.

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.

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

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 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

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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

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.