UKIC Furniture and Wood Section

UKIC Furniture and Wood Section - Conservation and restoration of wooden objects

This article first appeared in Conservation News 71.

Section visit to Windsor Castle

The Section visit to Windsor Castle coincided with the Changing of the Guard, so we gathered together with a Guards band accompaniment. Adrian Smith, Assistant Master of the Household, was our guide for the day and welcomed us to the castle with an explanation of the function of the Household department. It became clear that the Castle is an important part of the State's entertainment facilities and that the furniture still retains its primary function. His lecture about the development and evolution of the Castle led through to the inferno that engulfed many of the staterooms in 1992. He outlined the history of the rooms affected by the fire and illustrated the different decoration schemes employed for the principal staterooms. Adrian analysed the fire, "costing £ 3.2 million per hour" and its effects on the rooms. He discussed a few of the options studied for the restoration. It became clear that each area was dealt with individually and the schemes adopted employed a wide range of techniques.

An opportunity seized upon was to install a new Gothic hammer-beam roof, using illustrations from archives for the design. A steel overroof relieves pressure from the green oak structure, which is still being supported by stainless steel bolts. The imperative to return the rooms to normal as quickly as possible, with modern central heating, has led inevitably to the oak splitting. Over many years the bolts will be released gradually, allowing the oak to settle and the joints to bed in. The whole structure is magnificent and even incorporates subtle lighting. Gilding prompted discussion and Adrian explained the requirement to produce "as new" finishes. The perception of Britain is formed by how we present our state apartments and, for many other nations, gold should be bright, the distressed look is equated with being shabby and not cared for.

Adrian's talk provided a focus for the discussion held over the lunch break in a local pub. For the afternoon session Adrian led a conducted tour of the staterooms and showed us the results of the restoration. Adrian's insights enlivened the tour and informed the group of many aspects of the furnishing management of the castle. With such a variety of options available for the restoration it was inevitable that some decisions made have led to criticism. However, when the enormity of the task undertaken is considered, the results are astonishing. It was pleasing to see new work by today's designers and craftspeople within the apartments.

The final section of our visit was a trip to the craft workshops. We were grateful to the many members of the team who stayed behind to talk with us and show their work. If we had any preconceptions about there being a rarified or precious atmosphere, this was dispelled. The workshops are modern and the task is to return the furniture to full working order within the deadline specified by the owner. It is clear that the requirement to renovate for full usage has been the imperative until recently. Adrian and the team are now introducing a more conservation-freindly approach.

Adrian's itinerary maximized our time within the Castle and I know that I speak for the whole group in thanking him and his staff for organising such a succesful day.
Peter Brewer
January 2000

Related link: opens in a new window
  • Windsor Castle: www.royalresidences.com/frWindsor.htm