Wednesday - October 07, 2009

A BIT OF ENGLISH HISTORY …. IT’S DREW’S FAULT

I had planned on a disturbing story to close for tonight and right upset I was too. The usual lunacy and disorder stuff.
Then I saw that Drew had posted some things from my neck of the woods, and I just couldn’t end with depressing material.
I mean, how does one follow “Ode To Autumn” and a great shot of our village pub, with mayhem and murder.
Can’t.  But I happen to have a few items here including a photo I took of a grand old building and also took a couple from the web. 

It’s a place called Chawton House.  In the write up on it I noticed they say they have manuscripts that date to the 1600s. BUT ... a tour guide told me they have manuscripts from mid 1400s.  ?  So I don’t know as I haven’t been inside.

Some months ago a magazine here did a big write up on the American who almost single handedly saved this building from ruin and spent her own money and got donations from wealthy friends etc.  She is none other then SANDY LERNER , the co-founder of Cisco Systems. 

The restoration work carried out on Chawton House was all done using traditional methods, in keeping with the history of the house. Before work even started, extensive research was done to establish the history of the building and the landscape, and during the restoration, a careful watch was kept for evidence of archaeology and architectural history.

A historical team, including architectural historian Edward Roberts, archaeologist Christopher Currie, dendrochronologist Dan Miles and landscape consultant Sybil Wade, were able to investigate and document anything found that provided additional evidence of the history of the house and estate.

The first repair work was done on the roof of the south range of the house. This work began in 1995 and consisted of temporary holding repairs. The historical research carried out was then used to put together plans for the listed building application and planning consents. This was extensive work involving long negotiations with the local planning departments and English Heritage. At the end of October 1997, planning and listed building consent was finally granted, enabling work to begin in 1998, when the initial phase of the main restoration work began.

The south range roof was stripped of the tarpaulins and major timber repairs were carried out. The Victorian billiard wing, which was causing damage to the fabric of the Elizabethan house, was demolished. The following year, work began on the outbuildings, which subsequently became the estate offices and workshop. The drive was lowered and, in 2000, work also started on the restoration of the well and pumphouse, including its machinery.

In 2001, internal work began on the south range and the restoration of the west range roof was also carried out. In 2002, work began on a timber framed barn to accommodate four shire horses, a tack room and a hayloft, and in the same year, the final phase of restoration work began on the house, with work carried out on the internal part of the west range and the whole of the north range. Extensive dry rot was discovered; brickwork had to be removed, and timber was also removed so that it could be treated and rebuilt. The restoration of the house was essentially complete when it opened as Chawton House Library in July 2003.

The bottom photo of the house was shot through the windshield of the car I was in as we drove up. It also started raining a bit later.(peiper)

See the link .... and gigantic stone buildings in Drew’s post following this. That link will provide further history of this place. A tad misleading unless you know. Although it was owned by the Austen family (Jane Austen) this was not the house she lived in and wrote from. That house is just down the road from this place.

A small update from the other side of the salty pond -

Peiper got his pics and info right here I bet. Lots of info on this stately home, the renovation project, the history of the place, and lots of lovely photographs. The place is once again a working farm I gather, with proper Shire horses and Rescue Chickens.  Lovely place. If you like stately old homes this will be a link you’ll love.

I think you’re going to have to take the tour old man. The rest of us will just have to click on this link.

Posted by peiper     on 10/07/2009 at 11:55 AM   
Filed Under: • Architecture • History • UK •  
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