Cliveden Conservation projects have been featured in Nick Knowles: Heritage Rescue, a new series about the restoration of some of Britain’s most treasured buildings.
In the current series, Knowles talks to our conservators onsite about their work and follows their progress as they carefully restore two very different ceilings – the papier-mâché ceiling at Powderham Castle and the portico ceiling at Wentworth Woodhouse.
At Powderham Castle, a family home in Devon which has undergone a major restoration programme of repairs, viewers witness our team in action as they rescue the storm-damaged papier-mâché library ceiling. You can see our conservators carry out the delicate operation of stripping the cracked paint and rebuilding the fine decorative elements with tissue paper to achieve crisp, sharp detailing.
Knowles meets other members of our conservation team at Wentworth Woodhouse, a Grade I listed stately home in South Yorkshire owned and managed by Wentworth Woodhouse Preservation Trust (WWPT). Here, our conservators demonstrate the techniques involved in carrying out plaster repairs and redecoration of the stunning portico ceiling.
Filming conservation in action has been a valuable experience for Cliveden Conservation. MD Lewis Proudfoot is thrilled with the coverage:
“Taking part in the Nick Knowles: Heritage Rescue series and working with the producers of Curve Media, has been a rare opportunity for us and other specialist craftspeople to raise awareness about the tremendous skill and knowledge which is required in saving Britain’s heritage buildings. It is also a chance for us to share our passion in bringing these magnificent works of art back to their former glory.”