Previously unseen items from Clandon Park’s salvaged collection go on display in basement exhibition

28th September 2018

Earlier this year, the National Trust opened the basement at Clandon Park in Surrey to give visitors a chance to see some of the most fire-damaged spaces at the heart of this grand Palladian mansion. Now, a new selection of items from the house’s salvaged collection are on display in the basement’s exhibition space, showing an array of different objects rescued from the house in the months after the fire. 
 

 (Image - Display panels in the Marble Hall undercroft 2018 © National Trust Images John Millar)
 

These include a set of porcelain Chinese Gods, Harmony and Union, from the collection of connoisseur Hannah Gubbay. Often called the ‘Laughing Twins’ and dating back to the 1700s, these figures were on display in the same cabinet  in the Blue China Room on the first floor. During the fire they fell into the State Bedroom, where they were discovered months later by archaeologists during salvage efforts. Despite being crushed by the collapsed ceiling, one twin survived the fire almost intact, while the other broke in to over 20 pieces.

Visitors can also see the glistening remnants of an 18^th century glass chandelier from the Green Drawing Room.  Archaeologists recovered many drops and festoons from the chandelier but heat, pressure and ash have altered the shape and colour of the glass. The fire damage raises complex questions about the future of the chandelier and other objects like these.

Sophie Chessum, Senior Project Curator at Clandon Park, says: “We’ve introduced a new selection of collection items to the basement display, to carry on sharing the stories of some of the hundreds of objects rescued from the fire. 

“The fire was tragic but we’re trying to learn as much as we can from it, and it is fascinating to see the different impact that fire has on different materials. Some objects have survived remarkably well, others less so. Each item presents so many different and challenging conservation questions, and it is these questions that we want to share with our visitors.”

Other collection items on display include a ceremonial sword worn by William the 4^th Earl of Onslow when he was Lord-in-Waiting to Queen Victoria in the 1880s; a ‘claw and ball’ foot, which are the only remains of a walnut chair dating back to the 1700s, salvaged from the Saloon; and a tray of unidentified ceramic figures that fell from the Blue China Room that were recovered by archaeologists in the State Bedroom. 

There are also pieces of architectural salvage on show, such as a piece of plasterwork from the extraordinary Marble Hall ceiling, and hand painted Delft tiles which once surrounded a fireplace in a large, second floor bedroom.  Like the other items on display, these tiles show varying states of survival, and viewing all these items together shows visitors how different materials – metal, glass, ceramics, and wood – were affected by the fire. 

Sophie Chessum comments: “This selection of objects for the basement display reflects our current work with the collection, as we start to review each item and its conservation needs. We are also reviewing each item’s significance to Clandon Park and the Onslow family, and how these connections and stories can be shared with visitors in the future.”

The new basement walkway, which opened in May this year, takes visitors deep into the lowest and most fire-damaged spaces within the 18th-century Palladian mansion.

The exhibition space is in the beautiful undercroft, a vaulted room under the Marble Hall, which pre-fire visitors will remember as the restaurant. The exhibition highlights the key questions that the National Trust is considering during the hugely complex task to rebuild the house. Visitors are invited to share their thoughts as the conservation charity works with its architects, specialist advisers and stakeholders to develop plans for Clandon’s future. 

From the undercroft, visitors can pass into a protected viewing area which gives sight of the full extent of the fire damage for the first time, providing dramatic vertical views, interspersed with overhanging staircases and fireplaces, from the basement floor up to the scaffolding roof.

The basement walkway adds to the existing access at Clandon Park, which includes the Saloon, State Bedroom, Marble Hall and the garden.   Clandon Park is open every Wednesday to Sunday until 28 October 2018.  For more information please visit www.nationaltrust.org.uk/clandon-park