A fire has gutted much of Clandon Park, the Palladian house near Guildford in the south east of England. Many of the country house’s rooms and its magnificent great hall are feared destroyed by a blaze that started in the basement yesterday afternoon, 29 April, and soon spread throughout the building despite the efforts of more than 80 firefighters, who were hampered in their efforts by low water pressure. The National Trust, which owns the house, describes the building, designed by Giacomo Leoni in the 1720s, as one of the country’s most complete examples of a Palladian building.
Some of the Grade 1 listed house’s contents, including paintings and furniture, are reported to have been saved by staff and firefighters: images posted on social media show objects on the lawn. But it is unclear what has been salvaged, or can be saved when the house is made safe. A National Trust spokeswoman told the BBC this morning that it is waiting for permission to gain access to the building.
Clandon Park, which was built by the Onslow family, had on its walls paintings by Zoffany, Wright of Derby and Hogarth and very large paintings of birds by Barlow. It was also the home to three collections of ceramics, including Chinese 17th- and 18th-century porcelain birds as well as fine examples of Bow, Chelsea, Derby and Meissen that were donated by Mrs Gubbay, born Sassoon. The basement was home to a military museum recording the gallantry of the Queen's Royal Regiment and the East Surrey Regiment, including some of the 18 Victoria Crosses awarded to Surrey's soldiers.
In 1989 when Uppark House in West Sussex burned down, the National Trust’s staff treated the building like an archaeological site. The first task was to sift through the rubble, gathering and recording fragments in around 4,000 plastic dustbins. The house was restored and reopened in 1995. Clandon Park could require an even greater conservation operation if the National Trust decides its interiors can be restored.
Update: In a statement Helen Ghosh, the National Trust’s director general, confirmed the house is now "essentially a shell". While some significant items have been saved, "they are certainly not everything that we wanted to save," she added.
