Get the National Trust back to its real mission.
Save our Clandon
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After the 2015 fire, the National Trust stated
“With the help of today’s artists and craftspeople, we can reconstruct these beautiful ceilings to warmly welcome visitors back to Clandon Park.”
But the National Trust has submitted a planning proposal that leaves Clandon’s interior a ruin with fire-blackened bricks, unsympathetic modern walkways, intrusive kiosks and a lift shaft ruining the roofline, while leaving the fine baroque interiors unrestored. The National Trust claims the bare brick walls are “fascinating,” but the significance of the house was in its magnificent stucco interiors. They dismiss restoration as “plastic pastiche,” a crass dismissal of the exceptional work of the freehand plaster modellers who restored Uppark after the 1987 fire.
This damaging scheme makes no sense and it must be stopped.
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1. The historically and aesthetically significant interiors need to be reinstated
The fire of 2015 caused substantial damage on Clandon Park, and the National Trust’s refusal to restore its interiors only compounds this harm. Reinstating the original state rooms with authentic materials would restore the building’s purpose and secure its long-term future. Faithful restoration would honour the historical significance of the house and ensure it remains a meaningful visitor attraction.
2. Ruins won’t draw crowdsThe proposal to keep Clandon Park as a managed ruin undermines its long-term viability. Visitors are unlikely to return repeatedly to see smoke-blackened walls and small sections of plaster. Unlike attractions such as Witley Court, the site lacks extensive gardens to draw crowds. The novelty of a fire-damaged interior will fade, and the future of the house could be in jeopardy.
3. Commerce over conservationThe proposal prioritises commercial uses such as events, exhibitions, and dining over conservation. These plans conflict with the National Trust’s charitable purpose to promote the permanent preservation of buildings of beauty and historic interest for the benefit of the nation.
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QUICK VOTE REPORT
Restore Trust has published a report on the National Trust’s undemocratic use of a ‘Quick Vote’ in its AGMs.
CLANDON PARK REPORT
Restore Trust has published a report on the National Trust’s response to the 2015 fire at Clandon Park and its plans for the future of the house.
“If ever the Trust is deflected from protecting individual places of historic interest and natural beauty, then it will have betrayed its fundamental objectives. If it becomes preoccupied with a sense of being some great national institution, it will be in danger of making a fool of itself.”
— Merlin Waterson, The National Trust: The First Hundred Years (1994)
“The proposal gives the lie to the much vaunted belief in 'For ever for Everyone' if the Fine Rooms are not to be kept for future generations to see.”
Jeffrey Haworth on the proposal to keep Clandon Park as an empty shell
“We have thousands of plaster fragments from the Marble Hall and from the other significant plaster ceilings in the house and we’re gradually able to assess what has survived. With the help of artists and craftspeople of today, there is certainly enough of the wonderful historic sculpture to reconstruct these beautiful, ornate ceilings so that we’ll be able to warmly welcome visitors back to Clandon Park.”
Sophie Chessum, Project Curator, in 2015
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PROTECT
We want the National Trust to:
maintain standards of conservation and presentation,
protect a ‘spirit of place’, and
preserve history for the enjoyment of future generations.
CONSERVE
We want the National Trust to:
return to founding principles,
emphasize evolution not revolution,
care for what unites us, and
help us to enjoy the places we love.
LISTEN
We want the National Trust to:
hear members’ views,
recognize volunteer contributions, and
respect specialist curators.