Haddon Hall Long Gallery
The most perfect house to survive from the Middle Ages.
Simon Jenkins, 2003
Set within the rolling hills of the Peak District and beside the River Wye, Haddon Hall was built as the seat of the Dukes of Rutland by the Vernon family. Nick Cox Architects have been advising on repair and conservation works at Haddon for over 25 years.
Voices from the past
Structural decay of the bay window threatened the survival of the fine plaster ceiling of the Long Gallery. Also at risk was the decorative oak panelling and leaded lights, which contained fascinating etched graffiti from previous centuries.
Thoughtful conservation
Areas connected to the bay window needed careful temporary protection and support, from roof structural repairs to underpinning of foundations. Cracks were stitched and the first-floor bay was taken apart stone by stone before being rebuilt using existing stone and newly carved elements.
Meeting funding requirements
The opportunity afforded by funding from the Historic Houses Foundation and the Cultural Recovery Fund was too good to be missed. However, this meant that the complex project needed to be delivered within a condensed timeframe to meet funding deadlines.
Completion was achieved according to programme without reducing the scope or quality of the conservation work. We accomplished this through facilitating smooth collaboration between the client and project team, and through careful forward analysis of risks (including lead in times for traditional materials).
Looking to the future
Record drawings of the roof and stonework were commissioned as part of the project alongside a conservation report. These records will form part of the Haddon archive, which includes photographs taken by the ninth Duke in the early nineteenth century. Learning from the project will inform future work to conserve and protect this exceptional building.