Very sad news about the devastating blaze at Clandon Park
House, in Surrey (above, before the fire). According to the
National Trust, the flames that began in the basement have left the 18thc
stately home ‘a shell’ after most of the roof, lintel, ceilings and floors
collapsed. There is still no access for staff, and all planned events have been cancelled.
We were there a few years ago and like most visitors, were awed by
its grandeur and elegance. The elaborate plasterwork and statues of the two-storey
Marble Hall (left), designed by the Onslow family’s architects to impress more than
280 years ago, were still doing so. In recent times it’s been a popular venue
for weddings and also a movie location. The Duchess, starring Keira Knightley,
was filmed there in 2008. The mansion was also home to a prized collection of
18th c furniture, porcelain and textiles, some of which were rescued
by fire crews, staff and volunteers.
One unusual feature in the grounds that has hopefully
survived intact is the Maori meeting house, Hinemihi, brought over from New
Zealand in 1892. It’s the second conflagration the whare has witnessed. She was carved in 1880, in the
shadow of a volcano, Mount Tarawera, and named after a revered female ancestor.
During the cataclysmic eruption of 1886
local people sought shelter there as hot magma and ash rained down. The building was half-buried and remained so until bought by the 4th
Earl of Onslow, who was nearing the end of his term as Governor of New
Zealand. In recent years this, the only
historic whare in the UK, has been the adopted meeting house
of London’s Maori community.
The
National Trust has launched a public appeal to assist Clandon Park House. https://join.nationaltrust.org.uk/donate/selectappeal
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