First cleaning in 400 years for Lanhydroch’s long gallery
One of the country’s most important historical ceilings is undergoing significant restoration work for the first time in its’ 400-year history.
The barrel-vaulted ceiling of the Long Gallery at Lanhydroch House measures an astounding 116 feet. It’s expected to take experts months to clean off centuries’ worth of dirt and discolouration.
Instead of doing so behind closed doors, however, they’re inviting visitors to climb a purpose-built scaffold to see the full length of the Long Gallery ceiling so they can be up close – and watch the conservators at work.
‘This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for visitors to witness such a large-scale conservation project in action,’ says Charlotte Newman, Lanhydrock’s Collections and House Manager at the National Trust property.
‘Whether you are on the scaffold or enjoying it from ground level, you can be sure few people have seen this Jacobean plasterwork in as much detail since the talented craftsmen first completed it four centuries ago.’
A conservator using a brush to wash the Long Gallery ceiling at National Trust Lanhydrock, Cornwall. The image clearly shows the clean and dirty areas of the ceiling. Copyright: National Trust Images / Faye Rason.
The ceiling depicts dozens of Biblical scenes from the Book of Genisis along with an array of birds and mythical animals. It was created for John Robartes between 1620 and 1640.
He was one of the House’s former owners. It’s believed inspiration for the ceiling came from manuscripts in his library and from printed drawings.
Historic Jacobean ceiling receiving a large dosage of TLC
The ceiling is comprised of 24 panels which depicts various scenes from the Old Testament Book of Genesis, including: Adam and Eve, Noah and the Ark, the Life of Jacob together with the mythical battle between David and Goliath.
The art is surrounded by more than 350 depictions of different animals along with intricately moulded plants and mythical beasts.
‘The Long Gallery ceiling is an extraordinary progress through some of the most familiar scenes in the Old Testament,’ continues Charlotte.
‘(It’s) surrounded by dozens of birds, snakes, fish, plants, and all manner of exotic and mythical creatures: crocodiles, porcupines, centaurs, unicorns.’
‘That all this is still here today is remarkable because the ceiling miraculously survived a devastating fire that destroyed two wings of the house at Lanhydrock in 1881.’
‘With many years of monitoring it, however, conservation work is now needed. The plaster has been showing cracks, flaking and discolouration.’
‘Specialists from Cliveden Conservation will repair the intricate plaster by filling cracks, replicating any lost plaster, washing off the old and discoloured distemper, and reapplying a new layer of distemper to restore the ceiling to its original appearance.’
A visitor climbing the scaffolding to view the Long Gallery ceiling at National Trust Lanhydrock, Cornwall. Current work aims to conserve the 400 year old ceiling. Copyright: National Trust Images / Steve Haywood.
Peter Bokody, an Associate Professor of Art History at The University of Plymouth, has been working with the team at Lanhydrock to research and document the ceiling.
‘An extraordinary example of craftsmanship.’
‘The ceiling is an extraordinary example of craftsmanship. Very little of its age, scale and intricacy survives anywhere in Europe, so it’s a joy to be able to work on it,’ explains Peter.
‘Although we don’t have written evidence for who made it, it is highly probable it was crafted by the Abbott family workshop, and really is an incredible reflection of the skill and creativity of local people in the 17th century.’
Peter is working as part of a team from The University of Plymouth to use the latest technology to scan and photograph the ceiling.
‘We can capture an amazing level of detail in these scans,’ he adds. ‘We’ve taken hundreds of photos to create a 3D model of the ceiling, as well as using LiDAR, which uses lasers to capture minute details, even down to the fingerprint left on a mould by one of the original craftsmen.’
The Long Gallery, which contains the National Trust’s most important library, was emptied of furniture and more than 3400 books so that work could start on the ceiling.
These objects are stored along the route to the Long Gallery which gave visitors a unique chance to see the collection more closely.
An exhibition has been created through the house at Lanhydrock, where visitors can discover what it takes to start a conservation project on this scale.
Visitors can see the LiDAR scans and gain an understanding into how the property’s extensive collections are cared for while the work takes place. The Long Gallery, scaffold tower and exhibition opened to visitors on Friday 1 March.
