Works start on conserving the Saloon

One of the finest surviving Robert Adam ceilings and arguably the most important English carpet in the Trust’s care will be expertly restored this year in front of visitors. Your membership helps us do important conservation work like this.

In the Saloon, almost 250 years of wear and tear have taken their toll. The ceiling and carpet are in a very fragile state and require urgent remedial conservation treatment. 

This spring conservators will add support to the linen threads; remove damaged areas and infill stitching by hand to match the original colours. A reweave of 98m² carpet will be commissioned and made by Axminster that will allow visitors to get further into the room and so much closer to the rest of the collection in the saloon.

Up above specialist conservators will begin a programme of conservation on the plasterwork, they will clean and make good the ceiling’s paint and plaster, filling cracks and retouching. A scaffold structure will mean you can get closer to the ceiling than ever before. 

Not quite as you expect

Works within the Saloon will be taking place until the end of the year so please bear in mind that the Saloon may not look quite how you expect.

Here's a picture showing how the Saloon looks usually without major conservation works.