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Early in this summer (2014) I was given charge of
the Chapples Minor for the day and the instruction ‘you might like to take them
to Mount Stewart’. Now the history bit: Mount Stewart [Website | Facebook | Twitter] is an 18th century house
and decorative gardens on the Ards peninsula, Co. Down. The estate, then known
as Mount Pleasant, was purchased by Alexander
Stewart (1699–1781) in 1744. In 1789 Alexander’s son, Robert
Stewart (1939-1821), was created Baron Londonderry, eventually being
elevated to Marquess
of Londonderry in 1816. On his death, the estate passed to Charles
William Stuart (1778–1854), the 3rd Marquess. Aided by the significant
wealth of his second wife Lady
Frances Anne Vane-Tempest (1800-1865) they set about refurbishing and
enlarging the house – by now known as Mount Stewart. Those works essentially
created the exterior of the house as it appears today. After a period of
neglect by the family, the house became the permanent residence of Charles
Vane-Tempest-Stewart (1879-1949), the 7th Marquess, and his wife Edith
Helen Chaplin (1878-1959). Inspired by her ancestral home, Dunrobin Castle in
Scotland, Lady Edith set about redesigning the rather plain and uninspiring
gardens, along with a campaign of interior redesign and redecoration. The
gardens were gifted to the National
Trust by Lady Edith in 1977 and the house and most of its contents were
also transferred by her last surviving daughter, Lady Mairi Bury (1921–2009),
in 1977.
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| Mount Stewart’s north-eastern façade |
We’ve visited the house and gardens on several
occasions, turned up for National Trust special events, brought friends and
relatives to see the place … and yet, I was surprised at my wife making this specific recommendation. What she knew –
and I did not – was that Mount Stewart is in the middle of a rather large
restoration project. Although some remedial repair work had been undertaken in
the 1980s, soon after the house passed to the National Trust, much more was
required. However, as Lady Mairi Bury remained in residence at Mount Stewart, her
failing health meant that large-scale disruptions were not practical, even
though necessary to secure the structure. With her passing in 2009, a wide-ranging plan was devised to address significant structural issues, along
with bringing the interior back to what it would have looked like during Lady
Edith’s tenure. As Denis Wright, the senior project manager, said in a blog
post about the restoration works: ‘the drainage system is failing, there is
serious cracking to walls, ceilings and archways and the house requires a new
conservation heating system and complete rewiring’. The project began in 2014
and will continue until April 2015, the whole costing some £7 million. The
project will bring together large numbers of specialists and crafts people,
managed by H&J
Martin, the lead contractor.
 |
| Introduction to the conservation work in the foyer |
Rather than simply close down the house to allow
these essential works to proceed in peace and quiet, the National Trust kept it
open and allowed visitors to come inside. I think that if you went along
expecting the National Trust standard display of ‘house perfectly preserved and
presented’, you may have been disappointed. Instead, what we got was something
really special – an insight into the practicalities and aesthetic approaches of
how Mount Stuart is being conserved and cared for. The house is now closed
until April 2015. By the time it opens again all the work will be complete and
everything will be put back as it should have been. I’m certainly looking
forward to it. From everything I’ve seen, it is clear that the building will be
structurally stable and beautifully presented for the enjoyment of visitors for
many years to come. If anything, this underlines how rare and unusual getting
to see the house in the process of restoration actually is.
 |
| Renovation of windows and doors |
I’ve divided my photographs into two sections.
This post contains images of the house under restoration, while the wonderful
gardens – designed by Lady Edith – are in an accompanying post (coming soon). As with all of
these types of posts, I hope that readers like the images, but more than that,
I hope they act as inspiration to come to Northern Ireland and see some of
these places for yourselves!
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| Repairs to the decorative paving in progress |
 |
| The south-western entrance, overlooking the gardens, getting some care and attention |
 |
| Work in progress |
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| Lots of scaffolding |
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| Paintings and mirrors are placed in protective casings |
 |
The Central Hall, usually a bright airy space, has been transformed
into a temporary storage facility for the house contents |
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| Wrapped up couches sit alongside pottery vessels |
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Stripped down chairs, labelled so the go back to the correct
places in the right rooms |
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| Pots under an occasional table – space is at a premium! |
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| New balustrades for the balcony – not previously open to the public |
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| Everything carefully stacked |
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| Chests of drawers |
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| Couches |
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| Trophy head carefully wrapped up & waiting |
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| Inside the Chapel |
The Wikipedia article on Mount Stewart notes: ‘One of the most stunning rooms at Mount Stewart is that of the private 'Chapel'. This hidden gem is a double-height room with stained glass windows and Italian paintings on its walls’. You would not know that when we visited, as it had been transformed into a two-level storage space to house fabrics and paintings. The really remarkable thing about this construction is that it is a self-supporting room-within-a-room – it has been completely built inside the Chapel, but without touching the sides, damaging the walls, or in any way compromising the fabric of the building. When the restoration is complete, it will simply be disassembled and removed, leaving the Chapel as before.
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Conserved and packaged fabrics with
all the necessary details attached to return
them to their original locations |
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| Stacks of oil paintings |
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| Paintings waiting to be rehung when conservation is complete |
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Chapples Minor were given the loan of high
visibility vests and hard hats for their
trip around the house - a nice touch! |
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| Demonstration of upholstery conservation with prints in storage behind |
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| Two conservators working on one remarkably intricate door |
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| Door in the process of conservation |
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| Still so much to be done, but it was time to sit on the lawn & have lunch! |
Notes:
The house may be closed, but the gardens are open
all year round – Go! Explore! Enjoy!
I’d also like to mention all the National Trust
staff and volunteers, along with the various craftspeople, builders, restorers etc. we encountered on our trip, all of
whom were delightful, eager to explain, and enlighten. Thank you all!
Resources:
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