The National Trust has been slammed for a 'dereliction of duty’ and a woke ‘obsession with slavery’ after it doubled down on not restoring a magnificent country house ravaged by fire in 2015.
Clandon House, an 18th century Palladian mansion in Surrey, was gutted by a fire caused by a suspected electrical fault in what was described as a ‘national tragedy’.
But rather than restore the magnificent interiors with the £64million insurance payout, the National Trust has taken the controversial decision to leave the property bare and ‘modernise’ various part of it.
The charity argues by not restoring the fire damage visitors will have a unique ‘x-ray view’ of how the house was built, but critics say this is a failure in the Trust’s main objective, to preserve Britain’s heritage.
Clandon House fire in 2015
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They also point to the National Trust’s ‘obsession with slavery’, highlighting the fact the house is linked to the profits of slavery by way of its historic owners, the Earls of Onslow, which may be making the charity nervous.
In a highly controversial move, the Trust has submitted a planning application to not only leave the house bare, but also install modern elements like a lift, roof cafe and viewing platform in a major break with hundreds of years history.
The planning application has received over 500 comments, with 360 objections and 176 supporting.
Hugh Petter, a chartered architect with 35 years experience of dealing with listed buildings, said: “Clandon Park is the most important building in Britain by Giacomo Leoni and was created by the leading craftsmen of their day. It is therefore a building of international significance.
“As with any great work of art it is the aesthetic intent that matters more than the artifact of the material.
“In this instance the interiors are well recorded and the building was insured so there is no valid reason, and indeed no valid excuse, as to why the interiors should not be fully restored.
“What is proposed is led by misguided modernist ideology which is completely inappropriate and is nothing more than cultural vandalism.”
The aftermath of the fire
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Antiques saved from the fire
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The architect, who was director of the largest firm of traditional architects in Europe, added: “As with previous major fires in Country Houses over the past few decades, they afford the opportunity to train a whole new cohort of craftsmen through the process of restoration.
“Thereafter those people are able not only to help repair and restore other historic properties, but also to help create original work. The act of restoration in itself is fascinating and would be a major visitor attraction.
“What is proposed here is thoroughly misguided and I would urge Guildford Borough Council to reject it.”
Rupert Onslow, the 8th Earl of Onslow, believes the Trust’s plans will render Clandon ‘a cross between an office block and an airport’.
He added: “I never wanted to see a sort of post-modernist reinterpretation of the house.
“I think the ruins are beautiful, very beautiful, very atmospheric, and are much more in tune with the building … but this is just going to make it look like a cross between an office block and an airport.
“Clandon House was specifically designed in the Italianate form with the piano nobile as the floor from which to view the parkland.
“A viewing platform with a café on the roof is not only intrusive to everyone in the surrounding area but also intellectually inconsistent with the historical essence of Clandon House.”
Clandon was reduced to a 'shell' by the fire
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National Trust member Michael Short was also highly critical, stating: “Having let the place catch fire, they are no longer conserving it but changing it. This is not what the Trust is for.
“This is because of the Trust’s obsession with linking their Purpose with colonial history and only the bad parts of it.
“This cultural 20:20 hindsight is not practiced anywhere else and the beating of the current generation with the reputation and errors of their forebears, forebears, forebears, seems at best not their job and at worse and complete dereliction of their duty.
“There are no other countries in Europe doing this and this is not the purpose of the NT.”
A National Trust spokesperson said: “Our plans will bring Clandon Park back to life as a welcoming, engaging and fully functional house.
“They reflect in-depth conversations with heritage bodies, architectural specialists, community organisations and local residents, and also with over 75,000 visitors to Clandon since the fire.
“Our vision is for a house that showcases the importance and beauty of what survived the fire – it’s important to acknowledge Clandon’s connections to the slave trade, as well as breaking new ground for understanding and appreciating how great houses like Clandon were built and crafted.
“Our approach combines careful conservation, scholarly restoration and sensitive contemporary design.
“National Trust members voted in support of this at our 2023 AGM and the overwhelming majority of subsequent feedback has been positive, recognising that our plans respect Clandon’s past and will create an exciting new chapter in its history.”
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National Trust accused of going 'too woke' after releasing 2024 calendar with 'no Christmas'Getty ImagesA spokesperson for Guildford Council, to which the planning application has been submitted, said: “A planning and listed building consent application for Clandon Park was made on behalf of National Trust in November.
“We held a formal period of consultation, giving local residents, the wider public and statutory consultees the opportunity to submit their views.
“Our planning officers are reviewing the application, and it is due to be considered by our Planning Committee on Thursday 6 March.”
NT membership numbers dropped by 89,000 to 2.62 million in 2023-24, but his loss in revenue was more than made up for by an increase in non-members visiting its sites and paying on the door which rose by 12 per cent.
