Restoring the Shell House at Springhill

The Shell House

The shell house at Springhill was created by the Lenox-Conyngham family in the late 19^th or early 20^th century. It was a decorative shelter in which to read, take tea, and enjoy the sights and fragrance of the garden. It has survived in remarkably good condition over the past hundred years, but time and weather have taken their toll. The Trust is now taking the shell house into the future with a major conservation project, so that visitors can continue to enjoy this quiet corner at Springhill.

The conservation so far

Springhill's second-hand bookshop fundraising

This conservation project has been made possible by using the funds raised by the second-hand bookshop at Springhill. It's thanks to our supporters for making this possible, by their donations of books, memberships, and funding.

Shells and columns

In July 2022, one of the supporting columns collapsed due to the wood rotting. The first step of conservation has taken place and the roof is now safely secured. Some further construction work to the roof tiling is still needed, as several tiles have been damaged.

The second step now is for any broken shells to be carefully replaced by a specialised shell artist, who will be using shells sourced from the local coastline.

The shells are cleaned once a year by our conservation team, using gentle soapy water and toothbrushes. The shells have a tendency to turn green as they are exposed to the elements, and as a result, over the years some of the shells have naturally crumbled and disintegrated.

An archaeologist has been out and carried out a full survey and photo mapping exercise of the shellhouse, so there is a good record of its current condition pre-restoration.

If you would like to support this project, text SPRING to 70525.