Built by A. W. Pugin for himself and his family in 1843 the house was rescued from development by the Landmark Trust in 1997. Seven years of painstaking analysis of the fabric of the house and contemporary documentary evidence was carried out before restoration work began. Externally the roof was returned to its original, double-ridged profile, lost after a fire in 1904, stonework on several of the chimneystacks required complete rebuilding and much of the badly-eroded stonework needed restoring. Internally, the stained glass used for the upper lights of the windows in the most important rooms and in Pugin?s private chapel required expert cleaning and restoration. The same company which had supplied Pugin supplied replacement brass door fittings and reproduced enamelled brass shields for the fireplaces. Several survivals of Pugin?s personal wallpaper design were found beneath later joinery, allowing Cole & Son to recreate it in four different original colourways.
-
The century-old enamelling technique used to create Van Cleef's lucky ladybird brooch — which has something in common with Country LifeThe technique used in the jeweller's Geneva workshop has been put to good use in its latest creation.
-
‘The best sleep in the sky’: What it’s like to fly in United’s Polaris cabin, approved by American icon Martha StewartUnited’s Business Class cabin goes by the name Polaris and Martha Stewart is a fan. So, how does it fare?
