Jon Kerr, general manager at Mount Stewart said: ‘This sympathetic restoration of the stone floor in the central hall is the final chapter of an ambitious project to bring this family home back to its former glory and truly showcase the history of this special place.
‘We are extremely proud that the project was recently awarded the building conservation award at the 2016 Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors Awards. The award recognises the hard work of the project team and the hundreds of volunteers that made it all possible.
We are also delighted that we were able to keep the house open during this huge project so that our supporters and visitors could see conservation in action.’
See conservation in action
To allow the specialist stone conservators the opportunity to clean and polish large areas of the floor, work will be carried out in three phases, with each area being screened off to contain the dust.
As phase one of the project nears completion, the sheer scale of the task can be appreciated by visitors who are encouraged to watch ‘conservation in action’ through two viewing screens into the hall.
Work is expected to be finished by mid-March when the newly revealed stone floor will complete the restoration of this wonderful house, returning it to the style which Edith, Lady Londonderry originally intended.
Fundraising for this project and others, including the restoration of the walled garden at Mount Stewart continues. Contributions can be made at donation boxes in Mount Stewart, or online
Every donation, no matter what size, really counts. Thank you for your support.