In my recent article about the plan to rebuild the north-west tower of the Abbey of St Denis I commented that such schemes of restoration of great buildings struck a deep emotional chord with me. Another example I cited is the ongoing project to restore the great eighteenth century country house at Wentworth Woodhouse in Yorkshire. The fact that this building, so historcally and architecturally important, faced such a sequence of threats to its very survival and is now, seemingly against the odds, being so imaginatively and impressively restored is, I find, deeply moving.
Yesterday the BBC News website reported that the restoration of the Camellia House and Lady Rockingham’s Tea Room at its rear had won an award from the Georgian Group as their 2024 outstanding repurposing of a building of the period. The camellias, thought to be the first imported into this country, are themselves doughty survivors as their home fell into decay around them before they, and it, were rescued.
The article can be seen at Wentworth Woodhouse Camellia house restoration recognised
For those unfamiliar with Wentworth Woodhouse there is, literally, an overview of the spectacular house - it is in effect two stately homes back-to-back - and the equally impressive stable block which can be seen at Wentworth Woodhouse, Yorkshire
The interior of part of the house can be seen in a video at Wentworth Woodhouse - Inside the grand house
The state of much of the interior, and its very real need of restoration, is shown in another of the excellent videos produced by the Preservation Trust at Wentworth Woodhouse Off Limits: breathtaking exteriors mask a brutal reality
A friend shared with me the latest information video from Wentworth on the ambitious aims for the Stable Block which blends the prosaic realities of adapting historic buildings with a spectacular vision of what might be achieved in coming years. It can be seen at Stables Regeneration Phase 1: September 2024 update
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