Our community makes their mark

Published:: 17 November 2025

Workshop participant creating a chimney roulette design — Our community created their own chimney roulette designs inspired by their relationship to Clandon | Clandon Park, Surrey | © National Trust Images / Andrew Shaylor

In 2025, we marked ten years since the Clandon fire with a meaningful community project. Sixty new chimneys were created, each bearing unique maker’s marks from those who cared for Clandon. These marks form a lasting tribute to the many hands that are helping honour its story and rebuild together.

We invited firefighters, staff, volunteers, and students from Clandon CofE Primary School to take part. The school had housed salvaged collections after the fire, and their involvement felt especially important.

Together, they worked with ceramic artist Julia Quigley to design clay stamps and roulettes that reflected their personal connections to the house. Architectural potter Mick Pinner then used these designs to decorate the new chimney pots, made in a traditional hand-thrown style.

Through creative workshops, community members carved sixty roulettes and learned new skills in design and mark making, deepening their connection to Clandon and its history.

For the children involved, it was a chance to connect with the past and shape the future. “It was really special for the children,” said Hannah Dawe, Head of School at Clandon CofE Primary. “Designing symbols that reflected their connection to Clandon helped them understand its history. Many hadn’t been born when the fire happened, so seeing what the house looked like before—and knowing their work will be part of its future—made it truly meaningful.”

A circular clay chimney roulette with a rabbit pattern held in an outstretched hand — A chimney roulette design inspired by a rabbit-shaped ceramic that survived the fire | Clandon Park, Surrey | © National Trust Images / Andrew Shaylor

Shaping Clandon’s story

This project also helped us grow. It strengthened our relationships with the people who care about Clandon and helped test our approach to participative conservation. We’re not just rebuilding—we’re inviting our community to shape the future of the house.

Reflecting on the project, Lottie Tempest Mountford, our Community and Volunteering Manager, said: “This project is a powerful example of how heritage can be shaped by the people who care for it. By inviting those who played a role in Clandon’s survival to leave their mark – much like the original makers - we’ve embedded their stories into the very architecture of the house. It’s a celebration of community, resilience, and the Trust’s commitment to participative conservation.”

The new chimneys are more than architectural features. They are symbols of care, connection, and community. They stand as a permanent reminder of the people shaping Clandon’s story.

A pile of three chimney roulettes created by Clandon's community — Chimney roulettes created by people helping to care for Clandon | Clandon Park, Surrey | © National Trust Images / Andrew Shaylor

What is a roulette?

A roulette is a circular disc of clay carved with a repeating pattern.

1 of 4

Welcome to The Lounge

The Lounge: a site-specific installation by multi-disciplinary artist Harold Offeh co-created with the local community and exhibited at the Lightbox Gallery in late 2024.

Brightly coloured wallpaper with many patterns on the wall with benches in front of the wall with bright cushions.

Ceramicist Rich Miller to celebrate the craftspeople of Clandon Park in a major new commission

Ceramicist Rich Miller to celebrate the craftspeople of Clandon Park in a major new commission. The National Trust has commissioned ceramicist, artist and TV presenter Rich Miller to lead a major new arts project at Clandon Park, which will reflect on the skills and experiences of the people who built the 18th century Palladian mansion, and those who are now helping to bring it back to life.