How Clandon House should be repaired following the devasting fire that occurred a decade ago has divided opinion as it did before the fire or is it an opportunity to present the building in a different way Here architect Niels Laub argues the case for restoration Following the devastating fire at Clandon Park in 2015 the National Trust’s initial decision was that the superb ground floor interiors at Clandon House which constituted the house’s chief significance with a degree of flexibility in the treatment of other This decision was later overturned in 2022 when the philosophy of restoration was dropped in favour of a hard-line application of “conserve as found” principles to conserve the house as a ruin which is reflected in the current planning application (24/P/01681) Clandon House is a Grade I Listed Mansion House with associated listed structures all set within the West Clandon Conservation Area and the Grade II Registered Park and Garden Clandon House is unquestionably of national importance being one of the earliest examples of Palladian architecture in England It is a rare surviving example of the work of the Venetian architect Giacomo Leoni probably one of the best examples of its type in England and considered one of Leoni’s masterpieces was the architectural centrepiece of the mansion containing fireplaces with fine overmantel reliefs carved by Flemish sculptor John Michael Rysbrack and a truly magnificent stucco ceiling which has been attributed to the most famous of the Swiss stuccadores One of the two marble fireplaces in the Marble Hall by Flemish sculptor John Michael Rysbrack which survived the fire Giacomo Leoni described himself as a Venetian architect but largely made his career outside Italy In 1715 he published the first instalment of his English version of Palladio’s Four Books of Architecture which was a milestone in the revival of interest in Andrea Palladio in this country and became highly influential in the evolvement of Georgian architecture most of his known commissions have either been demolished or altered Clandon was the best preserved of his buildings The glory of the house was certainly its interiors These began immediately on entering with the Marble Hall called “unquestionably among the grandest of all eighteenth-century interiors” in the Buildings of England volume for Surrey described it as “one of the grandest early Palladian rooms in England reminiscent of Houghton Hall in Norfolk built for Sir Robert Walpole” The arguments for and against conservation and restoration Conservation aims to preserve and protect historic buildings in their current state The focus is on maintaining the original materials and preventing further deterioration without significantly altering the building Any modern interventions should be clearly delineated as contemporary and ideally reversable This approach is only truly effective where significant amounts of the original building which provide its architectural and cultural value still survive and are capable of protection Clandon Park suffered a catastrophic fire in 2015 and most of the interior which provided its cultural and architectural value Remains of the marble hall at Clandon House National Trust Restoration on the other hand involves returning a historic building to its original state using modern techniques and materials where necessary The objective is to recreate the appearance of the building as it once was This can make the building look and function as it did originally and provide a vivid and engaging representation of the past this approach is often expensive and may require skilled labour and detailed research It is also only viable where extensive records of the original fabric and design are available sufficient to ensure an extremely accurate reconstruction of its interiors Such restoration also provides an opportunity to rediscover forgotten skills and crafts The devastating fire at Clandon House took place in April 2015 many great war-damaged monuments and buildings have been beautifully restored to their original state Today the rebuilt palaces and churches of Dresden Berlin and St Petersburg are celebrated for their rebirth and the beauty that has thereby been recovered In England too there are many recent examples of buildings badly damaged by fire that have also been restored to their original state The fire of April 2015 at Clandon was only the latest in a number of serious fires at historic buildings throughout England Uppark in Sussex (1989) and Windsor Castle (1992) In each case an ambitious programme of restoration Following the devastating fire at Uppark in 1989 the Trust considered three basic options: to retain the shell as a controlled ruin; restore the exterior but give it a modern interior that was ‘of our own time’; or restore the whole house as nearly as possible to its appearance before the fire In the event the National Trust took the decision to go for complete reinstatement largely driven by the terms of the insurance This decision was based on the desire to preserve the historical authenticity and unique character of the house The restoration involved rediscovering forgotten skills and using historically accurate materials and techniques to recreate the original decor This approach not only honoured the house’s heritage but also set a new standard for conservation projects The National Trust won richly deserved plaudits for its restoration of Uppark in 1989-95 after the devastating fire in November 20 1992 a decision was taken to restore the castle back to its original condition The restoration was a significant undertaking costing around £36.5 million and taking five years to complete The decision to restore the castle was taken to preserve its historical and cultural significance ensuring that future generations could continue to appreciate its architectural beauty and heritage The decision to conserve Clandon Park as a ruin The recent decision by the Trust to conserve and creatively curate the house as “a country house laid bare” is in marked contrast to the decision to restore Uppark insufficient material has survived from the ornate stucco ceilings and that therefore any restoration would not guarantee an accurate and skilful reconstruction the ability to re-use a significant proportion of original material in a stucco ceiling does not necessarily guarantee an accurate and skilful reconstruction nor is such a reconstruction impossible without it A corner detail of a Rococo stucco ceiling in the Nationalmuseet in Copenhagen Wikipedia The fact remains that there are enough fragments of stucco to allow an accurate analysis of its composition and enough photographic evidence to allow the recreation of an extremely accurate 3D model of the ceilings The only difference would be in the craftsmen themselves who will be recreating the ceilings the fireplaces and overmantels by John Michael Rysbrack which are fundamental to the design of the Marble Hall That the loss of wall panelling has revealed interesting information about the building process is not to be unexpected and far more remarkable discoveries found under the charred panelling at Hampton Court Palace in 1986 did not prevent the reinstatement of those interiors the preservation of construction methods should not justify a wholesale change of approach Surely photographic records would be sufficient to capture interesting historic evidence of the building process if the National Trust had decided to fully restore the interior of Clandon House the insurance would have covered the costs as the insurance payout was specifically for the restoration of the original house the Trust’s decision to conserve the house as a ruin will now result in the funds not being used for a full restoration I am not the only one who disagrees with the Trust’s decision to preserve the house as a ruin The house is Listed Grade I and is undoubtedly of National importance being one of the earliest examples of Palladian architecture in England The interiors are amongst the finest examples of Georgian architecture in the UK and are unquestioningly the most significant and important feature of this building there are many recent examples of decisions to restore important historical buildings in the UK following catastrophic fires namely at York Minster The approach taken on those projects has not only honoured the heritage of some of our finest buildings but also set a new standard for conservation while recovering and restoring important cultural assets for the benefit of society I recently wrote about the National Trust’s significant delay – a decade – in reaching a decision with regard to Clandon House seeking some indicative response from it with regard to its intentions I had the privilege of visiting Uppark shortly after it’s restoration and joining a family of one of the restorers as he took them around describing the work that had been undertaken my good luck extended to a visit to Windsor Castle in a similar way – the perfume of the green oak used in the restoration of St George’s Hall will remain with me forever These are but two personal examples of the pleasure I and doubtless many others have had of recent well planned and executed restorations Clandon House does not have to be a full-blown pastiche of Leoni’s work albeit there are few examples of it and I am sure such an restoration based on well known and existing plans and documents To leave Clandon House any longer in its present condition is a disgrace The decision to leave Clandon House as a ruin and insert a concrete staircase within it is a disgrace There are also plans to create an observation platform on the roof The views over the countryside are not exceptional and there is no wonderful garden to enjoy from above partly to try to reverse the NT’s decision Insurance would have covered the complete restoration of the house Does the NT plan to use the excess after this desecration on other properties It appears to me that the National Trust has failed in its duty of care to this building Irrespective of the views of the present Earl this building should have a full restoration in the same way as Uppark The expertise gained at Uppark blossomed at Hampton Court’s restoration and was available for Windsor I had always thought that if a building is insured then a claim should be used to rebuild not leave building to rot I am aware that precious artefacts were lost including an important display of Meissen presented to NT and also the splendid West Surrey Regimental Museum with its WW1 football and medal collection The dull imagination of the present Trust Board seems to be more interested in judging past owners by today’s standards than preserving our past as it was Isn’t that the whole reason for the Trust beerhouse keepers loom mill workers in Northern England farmworkers who although all were from poor backgrounds made something of themselves and relied on the patronage of the great landowners like the Onslows in their rural way of life and were proud of our heritage something which is apparently no longer fashionable I certainly didn’t join the National Trust to see it not restore the buildings in its care The Trust had insured Clandon House on a full restoration basis The premiums would have been much higher than those to insure it for “contents only” or as a ruin The insurers must have confirmed that full restoration would be covered To then decide not to restore it after paying higher premiums to do just that beggars belief and therefore premiums on all the other properties for which the Trust was set up to preserve This would presumably leave more funds available to purchase other historical properties which would be insured for “contents only” We had the good fortune to visit Clandon Park in the Summer of 2014 and thank goodness we did When footage of the fire was shown I was reduced to tears We have been big National Trust supporters for years but completely disagree with their decision not to restore Particularly as this is what the insurance money should be for It’s a disgrace and a decision that’s being kept rather quiet… I have been a National Trust member for many years and disagree very strongly with the decision not to restore Clandon Park Δdocument.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value" Train services have resumed this morning (Friday 27 December) after Network Rail engineers successfully completed emergency repairs to an embankment in Clandon between Guildford and Effingham Junction Following ground movement being detected by tiny ground sensors buried into the embankment the line was closed from Saturday 21 December to allow engineers to safely undertake work to stabilise the embankment Network Rail’s team of engineers have worked tirelessly to install 50 sheet piles – 8m long sheets of metal – to prevent any further movement in the ground The embankment will continue to be further strengthened with the installation of a 30m section of soil nails (steel rods) to help underpin the railway which will be completed while trains are running A speed restriction of 20mph will remain in place until further notice Network Rail’s Wessex route infrastructure director said: “I’d like to thank passengers for their patience while we completed these emergency repairs “We’re acutely aware of the impact of closing this stretch of railway the safety of our passengers and colleagues will always be our number one priority I would also like to pay tribute to our engineers and teams on site who have had to forgo the festive celebrations this week in order to complete these emergency repairs and return the railway as quickly and safely as possible to our passengers “I recognise some of this work – particularly the piling – would have been noisy and disruptive to any local residents living nearby whom I would also like to apologise to and thank them again for their understanding.” During the Christmas Day and Boxing Day closures Network Rail’s team of engineers were out in force across the Wessex route carrying out vital work to ensure the safe and reliable running of the railway Engineers renewed the ballast and sleepers beneath the tracks just outside London Waterloo station These tracks make up the junctions that direct trains into the platforms at Waterloo so it is crucial we keep them well maintained providing a further 50 years of power to signalling equipment in the area Teams also upgraded the level crossing on Mount Pleasant Road in Southampton and changed the signal heads on the gantry outside of Southampton tunnel engineers installed piles and cabling cabinets in preparation for further upgrades while between Feltham and Whitton old worn-out rail was replaced making for a smoother ride on the Windsor Lines Major work continues to upgrade the South West Main Line in the Woking area and also on the Lymington branch Those projects are on track to be completed on Sunday 5 January with normal running resuming on Monday 6 January said: “With no passenger trains running on Christmas Day and Boxing Day it gives us an invaluable opportunity to complete a wide range of improvement works on critical parts of our network such as at London Waterloo and in Southampton “I am grateful to the dedication of our various teams for working through the festive period to make these vital improvements to our railway.” An SWR spokesperson said: “We are very pleased to see the line between Effingham Junction and Guildford reopen following the successful completion of this emergency engineering work “We’re very grateful for our customers’ continued patience over the Christmas and New year period With engineering work still taking place in the Brookwood area customers should continue to check before travelling.” to grow and expand the nation's railway network to respond to the tremendous growth and demand the railway has experienced - a doubling of passenger journeys over the past 20 years The ad-free version is ready for purchase on iOS mobile app today we couldn't find that page";var n=e.querySelector("h2");return n&&n.remove(),{staticContent:e,title:t}},d=function(e){var t=document.createElement("button");return t.innerText=e,t.classList.add("error-page-button"),t},f=function(e){var t=document.createElement("div");t.id="recirculation-404",t.classList.add("brand-hint-bg");var n="\n \n \n Tick here if you would like us to send you the author’s response And now residents living in Guildford are invited to attend one of the three drop-in events and hear about plans to bring Clandon Park back to life The unique circumstances at Clandon Park following the fire in April 2015 allowed for taking a new direction rather than a straightforward restoration according to the National Trust A dedicated team has worked tirelessly since then to make the building safe The National Trust is now running three events which are the final round of public consultation ahead of submitting final planning applications in September and would like to encourage as many Guildford residents as possible to attend and engage with the plans 10.30am until 2.30pm at Yvonne Arnaud Theatre Clandon Park has always been a unique and special place over the years It was the backdrop to many important memories for many people An 18th-century Palladian mansion designed by Italian architect Giacomo Leoni the home of the influential Onslow family and decorated by leading European sculptors The fire left a large brick and stone skeleton open to the skies but it also showed how great houses were designed The National Trust has cared for Clandon Park since the 1950s and has been caring for it since the fire in 2015 along with historians and heritage experts believe in many ways since the fire it remains an important house today and it has the potential to come to life once more as its story evolves it destroyed nearly all the decorative interiors All that remained was the skeletal structurally solid brick walls and fragments of its famous decorative plasterwork except for the near-complete survival of the Speakers' Parlour and its beautiful ceiling This room was furthest from where the fire started and suffered mostly from water damage The Clandon Project aims to create a dynamic living building to host a range of displays events and activities - creating a unique way to understand and enjoy a country house The project team is working with award-winning architects Allies and Morrison and a wider design team including Purcell conservation architects to make sure the house is preserved and enhanced carefully and sympathetically The drop-in events are an opportunity for local people to understand the National Trust plans The events will give those who sign up a chance to understand more about the project as there will be several exhibition boards and National Trust project team members will be on hand to answer questions Earlier events were held in March 2024 and the National Trust has responded to the feedback from those events The team will be sharing this at the July events The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the National Trust They do not necessarily reflect the views and opinions of Reach plc The Clandon Dragon re-emerging from years of slumber carved on the embankment by the westbound carriageway of the A246/A25 between West Clandon and the Merrow Park & Ride is being brought back to its former glory by a team of volunteers Under an initiative started by bike tour guide Dominic Crolla a group of locals from West Clandon are in the process of restoring the chalk dragon to its former glory At the start of the project – the Clandon Dragon had all but disappeared With the support of the local West Clandon Parish Council the volunteers have been spending weekends during the summer clearing the site uncovering the original figure and working on a complete restoration Dominic Crolla said: “Those too young to remember the chalk dragon figure will not have to wait long to see the dragon breathing fire again according to ancient local mythology a dragon harassed the villagers of the Clandons until being killed by a soldier and his dog an association that has been long been celebrated in the village and is evidenced by the  dragon depicted on the village sign and also in the carvings on one of the doors of St Peter & Paul’s church.” carried almost two tons of new chalk onto the slope at the site and have made considerable progress so that the figure is now clearly visible to passing traffic But work remains to be done before the restoration can be completed and the group will be continuing to work at the site over most weekends for the next month or so The latest aerial view shows the progress that has been made “There is a real sense of satisfaction felt when working on the site as you realise that you are in effect bring something but by all who drive or [like the editor of The Guildford Dragon NEWS] cycle past.” If you’d like to find out more about the Clandon Dragon, it’s history and the current restoration project or if you’re interested in volunteering (18s and over) or wish to support the project please in the first instance have a look at the project Facebook page. I just listened to the talk about this on BBC sounds Does anyone know who did the Clandon Dragon in 1977 The Clandon Dragon is currently being refurbished which has an old newspaper clipping about its creation in 1977 to mark the late Queen’s silver jubilee of the Clandon Jubilee Committee is mentioned https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61571184013360 How ancient is this “ancient” legend Antiquarians of that time were fond of recording and re-working local folklore explanations were being invented for major dinosaur discoveries the heraldic ddraig goch being the most obvious modern design model until Game of Thrones came along Ancient and oriental dragons were much more serpentine Any genuine connection with the ancient Celts to when “Dover” still meant water: “dwr” in Welsh It’s still possible that there was a medieval legend Dragons enjoyed something of a media boom in the 11th and 12th centuries and the similarity to the story of St George is obvious I also wonder how the Clandon legend compares with the equally archetypal tale of Silent Pool just a mile away over the hills: ancient tale or modern fabrication Perhaps both were dreamt up by that Welsh spinner of yarns Clandon’s tame topography hardly suggests the haunt of monsters the Surrey Downs would have been home to bears and wolves as well as sinister smugglers and vagrants Did tales of dragons perhaps echo local anxieties about getting lost in the woods The gypsy episode in Jane Austen’s Emma reminds us how long these persisted As a child on the edge of Birmingham in the 1960s I was often assured that I’d be kidnapped and never seen again if I ever wandered off in the remnants of Shakespeare’s Forest of Arden Editor’s note: There is also the legend of the dragon that was supposed to protect what is now St Catherine’s Hill (formerly Draco (or Dragon) Hill) Its is this dragon with its protective role that is lies behind our title The Guildford Dragon NEWS Clandon Park House in Surrey has been gutted by a fire which is believed to have erupted in the basement before ripping through the building and spreading to the roof 18th-century stately home was still smouldering on Thursday morning despite attempts by at least 80 firefighters to extinguish the blaze overnight Many of the mansion’s irreplaceable items have been damaged or destroyed Photograph: National Police Air Service (Red/PA Photograph: Photography Ltd/Rex Shutterstock Sign up to our free daily newsletter for daily roundups of the biggest headlines and breaking news from SurreyLive Thank you for subscribing!We have more newsletters Legend has it that a soldier and his dog rescued a Surrey village from a dragon The tale says that a back road in West Clandon was once blocked by a dragon causing villagers a lot of fear and stress A soldier who had deserted the army agreed to fight the dragon in return for a pardon Find out how you can get more news from SurreyLive straight to your inboxHERE. The first written evidence of the story appeared in 1776 but it could have passed on by word of mouth for many years before that West Clandon remembers the dragon in its village sign and with a large chalk hill drawing of the beast was created in 1977 to commemorate the Queen’s Silver Jubilee by Francis Robinson and Donald Papworth As you drive along the A426 from West Clandon to Guildford look out for the dragon on your left-hand side The chalk is just below the surface because the bank was once a spoil heap from a chalk quarry the chalk dragon has been preserved by diligent volunteers including school children and boy scouts although it disappeared for a short period when it grassed over in 1990 Gillian Woodford set about restoring the dragon with the help of inmates from Send prison Today, there is a Facebook group with updates and call-outs for volunteers In another hint to the village’s folklore, someone stuck a sticker of a dragon on a road sign along the A25 Epsom Road near Guildford in 2013 Clandon made headlines in 2015 when Clandon House, a 18th century mansion run by the National Trust, suffered serious damage in a fire Story SavedYou can find this story in  My Bookmarks.Or by navigating to the user icon in the top right The West Clandon Branch of the Royal British Legion held a drum head service on the village’s recreation ground to commemorate the centenary of the start of the First World War on Sunday Members of the combined cadet force from Reeds School which was held to mark the last day of peace in 1914 was led by the Rev’d Barnaby Perkins and attended by 150 villagers from both parishes The service was attended by the Mayor of Guildford and the names of the 40 soldiers from both villages who lost their lives on the battlefields of Flanders The Rev’d Barnaby Perkins led the service The soldiers were each remembered by a small wooden cross that were placed in miniature garden of remembrance outside West Clandon Village Hall Other guests at this unusual service were two representatives from the Chelsea Pensioners and a drumming display was given be members of the Combined Cadet Force of Reeds School Reveille was sounded at the close of the service and the Kohima prayer said by Peter May the president of the West Clandon branch of the Royal British Legion Wooden cross placed in the miniature garden of remembrance outside West Clandon Village Hall An artist’s impression of the aerial view of Clandon Park House post restoration Following an international design competition inviting architects to “restore, reimagine and rebuild” Clandon Park, architects Allies and Morrison have been chosen from 60 entries to bring the burnt out mansion back to life after the devastating fire in 2015 was acquired by the National Trust (NT) in 1956 has restated his opposition to the trust’s £30 million project to transform the interior Claiming that the plans are bland and overly trendy he told The Times that the building should be left as a ruin He said: “The proposal is exactly what I feared: it is trendy The design is very bland and not a restoration but rather a new property in an old shell “It is probably unstoppable now but surely if having a grade I listing means anything it’s not replacing the house with something else entirely if it burns down?” Local borough councillor for Clandon and Horsley 2017): “I am delighted that the National Trust had such a high calibre of options to choose from in their international design competition Now that they have selected the winner it is great that the project for restoring the ground floor of the house and finding innovative uses for the upstairs is moving forward “Clandon Park was such an important feature in the village of West Clandon I look forward to further progress in the near future.” Allies and Morrison was unanimously selected from six finalists by a jury comprising figures from the fields of heritage Surveyor of the Fabric at Westminster Abbey Exhibition and FuturePlan at the V&A Museum An impression of how a rebuilt interior may appear The jury was also informed by feedback from the local community members of the public and the extensive research carried out by the National Trust’s team at Clandon Park since the fire From 23 August – 1 October 2017 visitors to Clandon Park were able to view the six design concepts on display in the grounds The property had nearly 3,000 visitors to the concepts display and received over 500 comment cards forming a “Compendium of comments” for the jury Praising the winning team’s bold yet balanced approach to “respect the quality and character of the mansion house in its historic setting” the jury found the team’s submission to be a clear and thoughtful proposal which balanced continuity and cohesion with an appropriate level of drama and excitement Visitors might enjoy views from to roof of the surrounding parkland and the house interior The proposed concept is at an early design stage and Allies and Morrison will now work closely with the National Trust to develop a final design (subject to gaining the necessary approvals) which will restore and rebuild the 18th-century Palladian house in Surrey former director of the National Portrait Gallery and jury chair said: “Finding the right architect to restore Clandon Park is a very significant milestone in Clandon Park’s history The fact that many hold Clandon close to their hearts has been on our minds when thinking about its future The jury’s unanimous selection of Allies and Morrison was a result of their sensitive response to the brief which matches the National Trust’s commitment to doing what’s best for the mansion its surviving interiors and the wider estate.” said: “Our approach is about balance; meticulously reinstating historically significant spaces while in others exploiting the extraordinary character of massive brick walls New floors and ceilings are slotted into this robust matrix to re-order and to redefine but only just as much as is needed to create timeless spaces without erasing the marks of time through the series of grand rooms on the principal floor to a soaring new space connecting the lower ground floor to a new roof-terrace each element plays its own particular part.” “It is hard to imagine an architectural project which bears more directly on the question of how we respond to our heritage We feel enormously privileged to work with the National Trust to unfold the story Clandon Park has to tell and to begin to weave plans for its future around the extraordinary evidence of its past.” A cross-section from the winning entry: “…trendy and very bland…” according to Rupert Onslow or “a bold and honest response,” said Matthew Slocombe director of The Society for the Protection of Ancient Buildings said: “We were incredibly impressed with the quality of all the entries in this competition.” The next stage of the project includes a detailed feasibility study and consultations after which a more developed design will be able to be shared See also: Clandon Fire – Earl of Onslow Says: ‘Out of This Tragedy Will Rise Another Chapter’ I disagree – it’s not bland; it’s quite ugly I say the Earl has the best knowledge on the subject and thus should have the last say As expected – the designs are appalling As the great Patrick Hutber said (slightly amended by me) all improvement equals deterioration It is a terrible waste of money and resources especially when there are deprivation food bank use and homelessness in the country I appreciate that those matters are not the responsibility of the National Trust but the timing is bad in the current economic climate The architects are the same ones who produced the Masterplan for Guildford in 2014 The National Trust has been taken over by the trendies The National Trust is supposed to be committed to preservation Concrete staircases that obscure the structure are truly hideous Why has the National Trust made the decision not to restore the house as was done at Uppark Lord Onslow said at the start that he thought the money would be better spent on properties elsewhere I now agree with him as NT’s ideas are wasteful and pointless It was a terrible day when Clandon burnt but many great houses have been lost to fire in the past and many of them have been left as picturesque ruins Clandon was only interesting for the marble hall and the contents As a building it was never a masterpiece and the added porch did little to relieve its plain facade One must object to this iconoclastic violation “One must object to this iconoclastic violation The composition of the jury is included in the article The Guildford Society has announced the winners of its 2020 Design Awards With a virtual awards ceremony to be held later in the autumn it says 2020 has been difficult year because of Covid 19 which delayed some buildings in Guildford from being completed The chairman of the society’s judging panel said: “The judging panel was heartened by the high quality of the entries with a range of new developments and restoration projects happening in the borough “The submissions demonstrated a range of good quality contemporary architecture and sensitively designed extension works to existing buildings All categories apart from one were well represented we had no commercial buildings that merited inclusion in the long list for judging “Our thanks to all who put forward properties for the Design Awards.” New public building winner: Guildford Crematorium Haverstock Architects for Guildford Borough Council Individual house winner: St Catherine’s Drive Close-up view of house in St Catherine’s Drive architects Omega Partnership for Runnymede Homes Student housing at the University of Surrey’s Manor Park Campus Large multiple housing winner: student housing at the University of Surrey’s Manor Park Campus MJP Architects for the University of Surrey Restoration / refurbishment winner: St Nicolas Church Community Hall Nye Saunders Architects for the church’s parochial church council Civic building public realm winner: Guildford Crematorium The Welcome Building at RHS Gardens Wisley Public building public realm winner: The Welcome Building landscape architect Christopher Bradley–Hole The Guildford Society’s aims are to promote high standards of planning and architecture to Influence the pace and type of development and raising the level of public awareness of local issues It campaigns on key issues affecting the town and urban area of Guildford considers the next steps for Clandon Park in Surrey two years after the fire that reduced it to a ruin Two years have now passed since fire destroyed most of the interior of this superlative Georgian mansion a shortlist of six architects was announced for its restoration as this magazine’s Architectural Editor reflect many periods in their history and are the more intriguing for it Where would the Norman cathedrals of Gloucester or Exeter be without the Goths inherited Seaton Delaval in Northumberland in 2009 and left it a fire-gutted ruin it restored fire-ravaged Uppark in West Sussex in 1989 not restoring Giacomo Leoni’s Palladian masterpiece is unthinkable but how extensive restoration should be is another question The world of conservation argues endlessly over significance Such airy concepts are already plaguing the issue of reinstating post-ISIS Palmyra The 20th century preferred ‘conserve as found’ and the cult of the stabilised ruin the Landmark Trust broke ranks and returned derelict Astley Castle to useful occupation with a Modernist makeover I was eager to ‘bring buildings back to life’ in some sense of that easily clichéd phrase I felt how this was done should be a matter for the creative imagination of curators for the sound reason that all restoration destroys something ‘the qualities that imbued this property with significance have been almost entirely lost’ The answer is that the reinstated ground floors at Clandon would be utterly beautiful a word far more potent than the scholar’s ‘significant’ Clandon’s interior would still be by Leoni even if executed in 2017 rather than the 1720s It would include one of the finest Palladian entrance halls in England containing Atari’s sensational ceiling and Rysbrack’s fireplaces to Pevsner ‘among the best he ever did’ More problematic is the handling of the upper floors and service quarters Ever since the re-presentation of Cornwall’s Lanhydrock House in 1970s Upstairs Downstairs mode visitor interest in houses has moved from the display rooms to their inner workings to the kitchens and servants’ quarters The National Trust has a vast number of empty rooms in its properties many handicapped by an excessive respect for buildings archaeology provided it is appropriate to their original purpose and in a style that does not clash with or diminish their visual integrity I can see no reason why areas of Clandon could not be lived in these houses are natural magnets for living and leisure alike The one sign of failure in a great house is gaunt emptiness not just a request for ‘ideas and suggestions’ The Trust’s Barrington Court in Somerset has been trapped by such indecision for a decade left to boast only its empty ‘atmosphere’ The contrast is glaring with the buzz of places such as Allan Bank or Wray in the Lake District or Vaughan Williams’s Leith Hill Place in Surrey There is a flexibility and delight to be found in the parts of houses that may ‘lack significance’ The character of most historic buildings lies in their evolution and in the decisions taken on their regular renewal Dr Goodall forecasts that the Trust’s decision on Clandon ‘has to upset someone’ and may ‘simply end up annoying everyone’ facing a new chapter in what we hope is an eternal history Simon Jenkins was chairman of the National Trust from 2008 to 2014 How to fireproof your country house Just thinking about it is enough to get any country-house owner hot under the collar Country LifeCountry Life is unlike any other magazine: the only glossy weekly on the newsstand and the only magazine that has been guest-edited by HRH The King not once It is a celebration of modern rural life and all its diverse joys and pleasures — that was first published in Queen Victoria's Diamond Jubilee year Our eclectic mixture of witty and informative content — from the most up-to-date property news and commentary and a coveted glimpse inside some of the UK's best houses and gardens written by experts in their field — still cannot be found in print or online pleaded guilty to burglary at Guildford Crown Court on Thursday and were sentenced to three years and four months in prison Chatfield and Mobey broke into the Guildford home of an elderly woman near Stoke Park and used a ladder that a neighbour had left out to get into a first-floor bedroom window was at home at the time and was understandably terrified and officers arrived at the scene whilst the burglars were still at the property Chatfield and Mobey were apprehended by officers and the stolen items returned to the victim said: “This was a really frightening incident for the victim who not only had her house invaded but was left feeling unsafe in her own home resulted in us being able to apprehend the burglars there and then “Burglary is a concern for most of us and it will not be tolerated Surrey Police will do everything possible to secure a conviction for every case that comes our way.” When a 90-year-old retired Foreign Office secretary died recently the secrets of her Cold War past could finally be revealed Valerie Pettit may have seemed to her neighbours in the village of West Clandon but with her death came revelations of her central role in organising the escape of a Russian spy Pettit was the architect of Operation Pimlico, an operation that smuggled KGB colonel Oleg Gordievsky out of Moscow when he was betrayed by a disgruntled CIA officer in May 1985, The Times reported Valerie Pettit (right) may have seemed to her neighbours in the village of West Clandon but with her death came revelations of her central role in organising the 1985 escape of Russian spy Oleg Gordievsky (left) Seven years earlier, as deputy to the head of MI6's Soviet Operations section a 48-year-old Pettit devised a cunning way for British intelligence officers to get Gordievsky - recruited by MI6 in Copenhagen in 1973 - out of Moscow if he was ever under suspicion If Gordievsky found himself in trouble he was told to arm himself with a Safeway shopping bag and stand at a certain central Moscow street corner at exactly 7.30pm on a Tuesday An MI6 officer would acknowledge the call for help by walking close by with a green Harrods bag while eating a British chocolate bar - a KitKat or Mars Bar Pettit (second right) stood next to Gordievsky (left) as they stopped for a photograph on their way through Finland during the daring escape widely acknowledged to be the most valuable secret service mole at the heart of the KGB The next stage of the plan would see Gordievsky meet MI6 officers at a layby in the woods south of the border with Finland Covert surveillance photographs of Gordievsky taken by the Danish intelligence service PET during his postings to Copenhagen The corner was monitored by agents every week for seven years even when Gordievsky was called over to work from the Soviet embassy in Britain in 1982 revealed he never wanted to see another KitKat because those monitoring the spot got used to carrying around a chocolate bar just in case For three years Pettit arranged weekly meetings with Gordievsky at a safehouse in Bayswater where he spilled the deepest secrets of the Russian intelligence during the darkest period of the Cold War while enjoying beer and smoked salmon but the US had carried out its own investigation to identify Gordievsky Godievsky was summoned back to Moscow (pictured) in 1985 under the guise of being made the head of the KGB in Britain As soon as he arrived he realised he had been rumbled He was summoned back to Moscow the next day under the guise of being made the head of the KGB in Britain Gordievsky in his student days at Moscow's elite Institute of International Affairs where he was first recruited by the KGB A packet of pills to keep him alert and a pouch of snuff to disguise the smell from Russian sniffer dogs meant he was able to evade surveillance and set Operation Pimlico in motion a man could be seen standing outside a bread shop on Kutuzovsky Prospekt the wide avenue running from the centre of Moscow Some 20 minutes later he was passed by a man holding a Harrod's carrier bag and eating a Mars Bar Four days later Gordievsky met two officers and their wives at a point south of Vybord where he was bundled into the boot of one of two cars and covered in a heat reflective blanket The blanket would stop him being seen by infrared cameras as the car passed across the border into Finland Gordievsky (pictured in 1976) continues to defy Moscow from a safehouse in Britain He escaped in the boot of MI6 officer's car in July 1985 For years these covert surveillance photos were the only images available of him But when they got to the border sniffer dogs detected Gordievsky in the boot of the car and began circling The two officers' wives were forced to deploy tactics of distraction a former CIA agent who became a mole for the KGB One opened a bag of cheese-and-onion crisps while another dropped her child's dirty nappy under the boot to disguise Gordievsky Once the car reached safety the officer who was driving put Sibelius's Finlandia into the cassette player Just minutes later the cars parked up in a clearing in a forest where Pettit was waiting 'She opened the boot to let me out,' wrote Gordievsky now 81 and still living in a safehouse in Britain 'She was the first person I saw as a free man.' Gordievsky seized both her hands and kissed them He sat in the back of a Finnish rental car as Pettit drove them north for the Norwegian border switched his loyalty from Moscow to the West and took on the dangerous role of a double agent According to one officer present Pettit was visibly moved 'her expression a mixture of recognition and love' despite usually disapproving of emotional outbursts Gordievsky described Valerie as a 'perfectionist' who 'always showed me great kindness and a lot of patience' During her retirement Pettit lived with her mother and sister in Surrey Born in 1929 near the Lord's Cricket ground she was the eldest daughter of Charles Pettit a solicitor who was badly wounded in the Second World War Whenever the churchgoer was asked what she did during her career she answered that she was a Foreign Office secretary and then moved the conversation on an account of the Gordievsky case by the Times writer Ben Macintyre she was disguised with the pseudonym 'Veronica Price' The comments below have not been moderated We are no longer accepting comments on this article The Mail on Sunday & Metro Media Group Junction 10 between the M25 and the A3 will close for three weekends as part of an ongoing improvement scheme but both roads will remain open to traffic Ongoing works to improve junction 10 on the M25 will see a series of slip roads closed for three full weekends over October and at the beginning of November The slip roads on and off the M25 and A3 will shut but the roads themselves will still be open for traffic Drivers will just need to take a diversion to either junction 9 or Junction 11 to continue their journeys Closures will take place on the following weekends from 9pm on Fridays until 6am the following Monday The slip roads are being closed to make changes at junction 10 which will introduce lanes that bypass the traffic lights It represents the first real benefit of the £300m scheme for drivers passing through Senior Project Manager for National Highways said: “It is important that the public know this is not a closure of the M25 as we have seen on three occasions earlier this year “Work continues on the junction 10 project and these three weekends will allow us to carry out the next phase of the scheme “I would urge drivers to think about how these slip road closures will affect their journeys and make sure they follow the official diversion routes we have provided.” There are a series of diversions in place over these weekends to guide drivers around the slip road closures It’s important to follow these diversions as they avoid the London ULEZ zone so straying from them could result in a fine if your car isn’t ULEZ compliant Drivers have been told to expect delays during these works so make sure to plan some extra time into your journey Welcome to bdonline.co.uk. This site uses cookies. Read our policy By Elizabeth Hopkirk2017-12-06T10:47:00+00:00 Winning architect invites rival from defeated team to join it on £30m restoration of fire-gutted mansion Clandon Park within the context of a historical landscape seen for the first time from its roof level Long section of the interior house revealing the balance of historically significant spaces and the retention of extraordinary brick walls A re-imagined roof terrace directly above the marble hall Gallery space with new floors ceilings and walls slotted into the existing matrix of brick walls Allies & Morrison team from left to right: Oli Heywood Allies & Morrison has won the National Trust competition to restore and rebuild Clandon Park the Palladian mansion that burnt down in 2015 The architect beat a strong shortlist featuring Amanda Levete Donald Insall Associates and Diller Scofidio & Renfro and Sam Jacob Allies & Morrison has invited Purcell – which was leading one of the other shortlisted teams with Jacob – to work with it as conservation architect on the £30m project The jury praised the winning team’s “bold yet balanced” approach to respect the quality and character of the mansion house in its historic setting It said the team’s submission was a clear and thoughtful proposal The proposed concept is at an early design stage and Allies & Morrison will now work closely with the National Trust to develop a final design and a detailed feasibility study ahead of consultation Clandon Park is a grade I-listed Palladian house in Surrey which was built in the early 1730s to a design by Venetian-born architect Giacomo Leoni It was gutted by fire in 2015 but the brickwork survived and significant portions of plasterwork and other fabric were salvaged from the ashes former director of the National Portrait Gallery said finding the right architect was a very significant milestone in Clandon Park’s history “The jury’s unanimous selection of Allies and Morrison was a result of their sensitive response to the brief its surviving interiors and the wider estate,” he said to a soaring new space connecting the lower ground floor to a new roof terrace each element plays its own particular part Fire-damaged state bedroom at Clandon Park Source: National Trust Images / Andreas von Einsiedel A ground-floor room showing extensive fire damage at Clandon Park Scaffolding on the exterior of Clandon Park Source: National Trust Images / James Dobson Looking up through the fire-damaged building at Clandon Park Source: National Trust Images / John Miller Clandon Park - saloon chimney piece pre-fire Source: National Trust Images / Anthony Parkinson said they were “incredibly impressed” with the quality of all 60 entries The competition was organised by Malcolm Reading Consultants and the jury included David Bickle senior director at the Prince’s Foundation for Building Community architect and surveyor of the fabric at Westminster Abbey developed in collaboration with heritage architect Purcell Blaze gutted grade I-listed Palladian house - leading to glitzy architectural competition Site powered by Webvision Cloud a man stood outside a bread shop on Kutuzovsky Prospekt In one hand he held a plastic bag from Safeway adorned with its distinctive red “S”."},"children":[]}]},{"name":"paragraph","children":[{"name":"text","attributes":{"value":"His name was Colonel Oleg Gordievsky of the KGB He was also a spy for MI6."},"children":[]}]},{"name":"paragraph","children":[{"name":"text","attributes":{"value":"At exactly 7.46pm an Englishman carrying a green Harrods bag walked towards Gordievsky but exchanged no words."},"children":[]}]},{"name":"paragraph","children":[{"name":"text","attributes":{"value":"The British shopping bags and the chocolate bar were the triggers for Operation Pimlico an elaborate and daring escape plan to spirit Gordievsky The"},"children":[]}]}]},"summary({\"maxCharCount\":200})":{"type":"json","json":[{"name":"paragraph","children":[{"name":"text","attributes":{"value":"At 7.30pm on July 16 adorned with its distinctive red “S”.His name was Colonel Oleg Gordievsky of the KGB The TimesGordievsky and Valerie Pettit with two MI6 officers (faces obscured) after the escape in 1985Tuesday March 24 2020 His name was Colonel Oleg Gordievsky of the KGB At exactly 7.46pm an Englishman carrying a green Harrods bag walked towards Gordievsky The British shopping bags and the chocolate bar were the triggers for Operation Pimlico The National Trust has launched a competition for a £30 million restoration of fire-damaged Clandon Park will select an architect-led multidisciplinary team to deliver a ‘sensitive and thoughtful’ restoration of the landmark building’s ground-floor state rooms and new ‘imaginative’ spaces on the upper levels the two elements must ‘confidently relate’ to each other and deliver ‘a building that reads as one and which is integrated within its setting The announcement comes just under two years after the Grade I-listed Palladian style mansion was struck by a major blaze National Trust director-general Helen Ghosh said: ‘The National Trust is delighted to invite the best talent from around the world to enter this design competition for the restoration and reimagining of Clandon Park thoughtful restoration of some of the principal staterooms on the ground floor as well as new multi-use galleries and visitor spaces on the upper floors to showcase the trust’s and other collections encourage new creative partnerships and draw new audiences ‘Clandon is so historically resonant and has such cultural potential that we want the competition to attract the most talented design teams with the freshest thinking to help us bring it back to life.’ Clandon Park’s project director Paul Cook added: ‘The trauma of the fire and sense of loss we feel heightens our determination to transform the visitor experience at Clandon and give the house a higher profile both regionally and nationally Not only is this a building with an exceptional aura and history in the heart of the South East and close to London Clandon is surrounded by potential new visitors who share the trust’s love of beauty Source: Image by John Millar National Trust Images which the National Trust describe as its ‘biggest conservation project in a generation’ will restore the building’s historically significant state rooms on the ground floor Speakers’ Parlour and saloon – where some items and architectural features survived the blaze – are expected to be reconstructed to their 18th-century glory The ‘less architecturally significant’ upper floors of the house will meanwhile be transformed into flexible spaces for exhibitions Clandon Park was designed by Venetian architect Giacomo Leoni one of Leoni’s five surviving works in England fell into disrepair during the 20th century and was given to the National Trust in the 1950s the trust considered a range of options for the house but decided restoration was both technically possible and could generate enough income for long-term conservation The restoration cost will mostly be covered by the building’s insurance Additional fundraising will commence once the plans are further developed Surrey Fire and Rescue Service changed its approach to fires in historic houses after criticism that fire fighters prioritised rescuing art works over saving Clandon Park itself It is understood the blaze was caused by a manufacturing fault in an electrical board Applicants must complete an online form detailing their project understanding Five or more shortlisted teams will then be invited to draw up concept designs in May National Trust Board of Trustees member and former director of the National Portrait Gallery with additional panel members due to be announced during the competition’s second stage An exhibition of the finalists’ designs will be displayed at Clandon Park during the summer and an overall winner will be announced by early autumn with construction work expected to start in 2019 Visit the competition website for more information Jayne BroomhallMalcolm Reading Consultants29 Lincoln’s Inn FieldsLondonWC2A 3EG Tel: + 44 (0)20 7831 2998Email: clandonpark@malcolmreading.co.uk National Trust director-general Helen Ghosh Why is the National Trust holding a design contest to restore Clandon Park we are trying to do something very different from anything we have done before The project is not just about the restoration of historic spaces but the creation within the same historic shell of new spaces for new uses Getting the two elements to work successfully and harmoniously together will require imagination technical skill and a profound understanding of the spirit of the place Architectural innovation is part of that spirit the first publisher of Palladio’s Four Books of Architecture in English working at the moment of transition from the Baroque to Palladianism An international competition to stimulate the same vision and flair seemed exactly the right thing to do What is your vision for restoring the state rooms and ‘imaginative’ upper levels As we carried out the painstaking salvage work at Clandon it became clear that so much of the principal rooms and their decoration on the piano nobile survived that a decision to restore them was not only viable but well-founded The rooms above were more severely damaged and in any event had been subject to significant change over the centuries That is what gave us the opportunity to think of a different approach there we will be aiming to put on programmes that not only tell the story of the house and the Onslow family but also explore National Trust collections more broadly and showcase new art and performance commissions The quality of the design and craftsmanship in all parts of the building will be paramount We will also be looking for a designer who sees the house in the context of the landscape around it What sort of architects are you hoping will apply We have no preconceptions about who should apply The only thing that matters is to find a team that shares our ambitions for the house and its future sympathy and professional skills to create a whole that is greater than the sum of its parts That might prove to be a large or a small practice will have the breadth of understanding and experience we need to make the right recommendation to our trustees Which other design opportunities are on the horizon This is the first architectural competition we have ever held for a National Trust project and of course we hope that similar opportunities will not arise for this particular reason ever again But we do believe that something better for Clandon and its visitors can come out of the disaster We are keen to learn from this competition and see whether it is a model we could apply (on a smaller scale) to future work Are there any other similar projects involving the restoration and conversion of fire-damaged buildings you have been impressed by When I first talked about our vision for Clandon in January 2016 I cited two examples that had impressed me The first was David Chipperfield’s work at the Neues Museum in Berlin where new galleries were inserted into the historic shell was the Stirling Prize-winning Astley Castle commissioned by the Landmark Trust from Witherford Watson Mann in 2007 I was bowled over by the attention to detail the quality and care of the choice of materials and the seamlessness of the transitions from old structures to new the new work makes you look anew at the substance of the old Source: Image by John Miller National trust Images the west front at the National Trust Clandon Park Historic England conducted a geophysical survey over the east lawn at Clandon Park to inform the site set up for the salvage operation This survey revealed that the elaborate parterre garden designed by Royal gardeners London and Wise This beautiful formal ‘gravell garden’ can be seen in an early 18th-century painting of the first house at Clandon These excellent physical and visual / documentary sources give us the evidence to recreate the design garden when the house was built in line with our aim to rebuild the house in keeping with its original 18th-century decorative schemes Clandon Park was one of the country’s most complete examples of a Palladian mansion designed by Venetian architect Giacomo Leoni (c1686-1746) This extraordinary commission for a new house required the demolition of a historic house of some architectural importance which had been the Onslow family’s home and power-base for some 70 years It was a bold move which revealed the self-confidence of the Onslow family whose members had been financially and politically upwardly mobile since the accession of James I and reflects their assurance in the Hanoverian succession in 1714 after the uncertainties of Queen Anne’s accession The significance of the architecture is recognised in its Grade I listing Leoni marked his arrival in England by publishing the first English translation of the work of his Venetian predecessor; architect Andrea Palladio (1508-1580) This had a significant cultural impact among English patrons and architects and brought Leoni to the attention of Lord Onslow through the Duke of Kent The arrival and adoption of authentic Palladianism brought an end to the English Baroque architectural style which had been prevalent since the Restoration a principal drawing room at Clandon Park was named after Andrea Palladio Source: Image by Anthony Parkinson National Trust Images State dining room at Clandon Park before the fire Clandon is one of only five surviving buildings by Leoni in England Its decorative schemes were highly significant particularly the ornate plaster ceilings by stuccadors Giuseppe Artari (d 1769) and Giovanni Bagutti (1681-c1730) and the virtuoso Carrara marble over mantels by sculptor John Michael Rysbrack (1694-1770) Clandon Park had interior decorative schemes and furnishings which were equal in importance and quality to their architectural setting was conceived as a series of rooms of state or parade rooms each of which had an important function in the hospitality of Royal and other high-status guests Rooms included: a grand entrance hall which doubled-up as dining room for large events the Palladio Room; a high status and symbolic bedroom the State Bedroom; and an every-day dining room All these rooms were decorated with appropriately lavish silk or flock-papered walls silk or moreen curtains and marble or carpeted floors to replace the Elizabethan house his great-grandfather had acquired in 1641 The Onslows traditionally followed political careers; the three who served as Speakers of the House of Commons were commemorated in portraits in the Speakers’ Parlour which has survived the fire its steeply pitched thatched roof reaching almost to the ground who was governor of New Zealand from 1888–92 and who also rescued Clandon from half a century of neglect by his great-uncle The Onslow family seem to have struggled to maintain Clandon Park after the death of the 4th Earl in 1911 and a lack of investment meant the house was in great need of repair stepped in and bought the house and many of its contents which she gave to the National Trust along with an endowment the sixth earl also contributing towards the enormous repair costs that faced the National Trust The house was refurbished during the 1960s to include a collection of 18th-century furniture and porcelain given to the National Trust Over 400 objects were rescued from the fire including: TagsClandon Park National Trust Hutchison Ports is recruiting a design team for its new £9 million… An open international contest is being held for a major €27.5 million… An international design and build contest is being held for 25 new… The UK Research and Innovation Science and Technology Facilities Council (UKRI-STFC) has… Check if you already have access from your company or university With a MRW subscription you’ll get access to: July 21 (UPI) -- A pickup truck owner in Britain shared video of an itchy horse using the vehicle's front end to enthusiastically scratch its backside The horse's face contorts in expressions of apparent scratching satisfaction as the incredulous man films The man's attempt proves unsuccessful and the horse continues to scratch undeterred.