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Clandon park gardens and house restoration

*Clandon House* (more formally known as *Clandon Park House* or *Clandon Park**) is an early 18th-century **Grade I listed* Palladian mansion located in West Clandon, near Guildford in Surrey, England. It was designed by the Venetian architect *Giacomo Leoni* and constructed in the 1730s for the Onslow family (specifically for Sir Thomas Onslow, 2nd Baron Onslow). The house served as the seat of the *Earls of Onslow* for over two centuries. It exemplifies Palladian architecture with its symmetrical red-brick exterior featuring classical pilasters and proportions intended to impress. The interiors were particularly renowned for their elaborate decorative plasterwork (stucco) created by skilled Swiss-Italian artisans (stuccatori), including grand ceilings with mythological figures, scrolls, flowers, and baroque elements. The two-storey Marble Hall was especially celebrated as one of the finest surviving examples of its kind in England before 2015. The house and immediate gardens were donated to the *National Trust* in 1956 (with the wider parkland estate remaining in private Onslow family ownership). It housed significant collections, including the Gubbay Collection of porcelain, furniture, and textiles, and was open to the public from 1958 onward. The 2015 Fire and Current State On 29 April 2015, a major fire—likely caused by an electrical fault in the basement—devastated the building. It spread rapidly, gutting most of the interiors and destroying the roof, decorative plasterwork, furnishings, and many artefacts. The external brick shell largely survived intact, but the house was reduced to an empty, fire-damaged structure (with only one room, the Speaker's Parlour, remaining relatively unscathed). Post-Fire Developments and Future Plans The National Trust received substantial insurance payout (around £63 million) and initially indicated restoration. However, after debate and an international design competition, the Trust adopted a controversial approach to *conserve* the building in its "laid-bare" post-fire state rather than fully reconstruct the lost interiors. Plans (designed with Allies and Morrison, approved by Guildford Borough Council in 2025) involve: Weatherproofing and stabilising the surviving shell. Installing a modern roof with glass elements. Adding walkways, viewing platforms, and interpretive features to allow visitors to experience the exposed structure, learn about its construction, the craftsmen involved, and the fire's impact. This "country house laid bare" concept aims to celebrate the surviving fabric and tell stories of its makers, though it has drawn criticism from groups like Restore Trust, the Georgian Group, and others who argue it represents a lost opportunity to restore one of Britain's finest Palladian interiors (some call it an "act of barbarism" or betrayal of heritage). Legal challenges to the decision were ongoing as of early 2026. The National Trust plans to reopen the site to the public around 2029 as a conserved, engaging, and functional building focused on education and the building's history rather than recreation of its pre-fire appearance. The surrounding parkland offers walks, and the property includes the historic Māori meeting house Hinemihi (also under National Trust care).