Save our Clandon
.
The magnificent interiors of Clandon Park can and must be restored.
17/12/24
By Philip Gaches, plasterer
In 1992 prior to the fire which destroyed a large section of Windsor Castle there were only
a handful of plasterers in the country capable of carrying out authentic in situ plasterwork
such as that found at Clandon.
We scratched a living from a few scarce projects here and there where traditional work
was still required over the more modern fibrous casting system.
After the fire was extinguished at Windsor I wondered how on Earth the castle could be
restored authentically however a remarkable thing happened, the few masters gathered
around them learners and improvers who though inexperienced were capable of good
work under the guidance of the masters.
I was one of those improvers and there were many more each continuing working in the
industry today.
Without the opportunity to work at Windsor and subsequently other great projects it is
unlikely I would have gone on to have had the career I have during which I have taught
and mentored in the region of 500 people in the heritage sector.
I have travelled widely teaching traditional skills across Europe and further afield in places
like Afghanistan, Myanmar and the US enabling those communities to restore historic
plasterwork but one thing that has become apparent to me during my travels is that the
heritage sector in the UK is a World leader with not only a high number of skilled people
but also a network of traditional architects, engineers and material suppliers.
Following a terrible fire in the 1940s which tore through a large section of Castle Howard in
Yorkshire it was decided to restore and that work still continues to this day providing not
only employment which feeds back into the local community but also training opportunities
enabling us to maintain a highly skilled workforce ready to get to work when the next
disaster strikes.
This industry position is only possible because of the brave decisions taken to restore
buildings like Windsor Castle and Castle Howard after fires and other devastating events.
The restoration of the interiors at Clandon Park would provide a unique opportunity for the
UK restoration industry to showcase its position just as the French have done at Notre
Dame in recent days, had they not done so we would have cried “ shame “ yet it seems
that the NT are ready to do just that.
Were Clandon to be restored the project would provide employment opportunities for hundreds
of people during the work, and the local economy would benefit from the presence of those workers. Once the restoration is complete, visitors coming to see the wonderful restoration of this
iconic building would bring continued support to the local economy.
To carry out the plaster I would envisage a core team of 30 tradesmen guided by three master
plasterers for two years during which time I would expect to engage with 500 members of the
public through educational tours and up to a hundred tradespeople through practical experience
days.