ENGLISH HERITAGE VISITOR IMPROVEMENT PROJECTS
Acanthus Clews Architects are very proud to have been selected by English Heritage as one of their preferred suppliers of architectural services on their framework. English Heritage maintain some of the most historically sensitive properties in the country and as part of the drive to become a self funding charity investment is needed in a number of their sites in order to improve the visitor experience and increase revenue. Our conservation architects have therefore been involved with various visitor improvement projects at properties such as Framlingham Castle, Wrest Park, Osbourne House and Marble Hill.
MARBLE HILL REVIVED
RESTORATION, REINTERPRETATION & DEVELOPMENT
MARBLE HILL PARK
Marble Hill Park is a 26.7 hectare public park, designated Grade II* in the Historic England Register of Historic Parks and Gardens. Within the park sits Marble Hill House, a Grade I listed Neo-Palladian villa built as the residence of Henrietta Howard, Countess of Suffolk during the 18th century. The house and grounds are owned and managed by English Heritage.
Marble Hill Park is a 26.7 hectare public park, designated Grade II* in the Historic England Register of Historic Parks and Gardens. Within the park sits Marble Hill House, a Grade I listed Neo-Palladian villa built as the residence of Henrietta Howard, Countess of Suffolk during the 18th century. The house and grounds are owned and managed by English Heritage.
Marble Hill Park is located within the East Twickenham area of the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames. Located on the north bank of the River Thames it is one of a string of gardens that collectively form London’s Arcadian landscape. Marble Hill Park is part of the Thames Landscape Strategy, Ham Reach and provides some of the formal landscape structure as seen from the view from Richmond Hill, which is the only landscape view in England to be protected by an Act of Parliament.
© English Heritage |
© English Heritage |
MARBLE HILL HOUSE
Marble Hill House is a Grade I listed Neo-Palladian villa built between 1724-1729, designed by architect Roger Morris. It is open to the public for guided tours on Saturday and Sunday from March to November. The Ice House and Grotto still remain in-situ and evidence of the structure of the original landscape design by Charles Bridgeman and Alexander Pope exists in part. A Black Walnut, Juglans nigra, on the path connecting the House to the Thames is a significant specimen of its species and a remnant of the landscape works carried out in the mid to late 18th century.
Marble Hill House is a Grade I listed Neo-Palladian villa built between 1724-1729, designed by architect Roger Morris. It is open to the public for guided tours on Saturday and Sunday from March to November. The Ice House and Grotto still remain in-situ and evidence of the structure of the original landscape design by Charles Bridgeman and Alexander Pope exists in part. A Black Walnut, Juglans nigra, on the path connecting the House to the Thames is a significant specimen of its species and a remnant of the landscape works carried out in the mid to late 18th century.
Exisitng Landscape Plan
SPORTS & RECREATION
Marble Hill Park provides an important outdoor open space for both formal and informal recreation. Bookings for football, rugby and cricket pitches, artificial tennis courts and practice cricket nets are managed by the Park Ranger Team, based on site. Changing room facilities are also available for use, which are located in the north-east corner of the park. Currently the changing rooms can only accommodate single sex teams as there is no division of male and female facilities.
Marble Hill Park provides an important outdoor open space for both formal and informal recreation. Bookings for football, rugby and cricket pitches, artificial tennis courts and practice cricket nets are managed by the Park Ranger Team, based on site. Changing room facilities are also available for use, which are located in the north-east corner of the park. Currently the changing rooms can only accommodate single sex teams as there is no division of male and female facilities.
Proposed Landscape Plan
The park is also used for informal recreation such as jogging and cycling and by many dog-walkers. The area between Marble Hill House and the River Thames is popular for relaxation and picnics with views across to the south bank and enclosure provided by the avenues of trees either side.
Planometric of the proposed pleasure grounds reinterpretation |
Survey Plan 1752 |
THE COACH HOUSE CAFÉ & PUBLIC TOILETS
The Grade II listed Stable Block is home to the Coach House Café and public toilets. The cafe currently occupies the ground floor of the southern wing of the Stable Block and provides a small indoor and outdoor seating area. Male, female and accessible toilet facilities, located in the ground floor of the northern wing are open to the public for the duration of park opening hours.
The Grade II listed Stable Block is home to the Coach House Café and public toilets. The cafe currently occupies the ground floor of the southern wing of the Stable Block and provides a small indoor and outdoor seating area. Male, female and accessible toilet facilities, located in the ground floor of the northern wing are open to the public for the duration of park opening hours.
© English Heritage
THE VISION
Henrietta Howard, a remarkable woman, overcame personal adversity to build an outstanding 18th-century house and garden at Marble Hill as a retreat for herself, her family and friends. Through this project English Heritage rejuvenated her creation, transforming it into a vibrant public park, enabling everyone to experience the pleasure Henrietta and her circle found there. The vision was to restore and interpret the 1752 and later 18th century house and landscape, providing within it enhanced high quality sports facilities for everyone.
The restored house will be free of charge on an increased opening regime. The historic stables have been restored as a visitor hub, providing commercial sustainability through a café and shop which open daily, and through hospitality opportunities. English Heritage have worked in partnership with local organisations to deliver outstanding events, education and training programmes. These, with a new volunteer programme, have delivered a welcoming and inclusive environment, sustainable well beyond the funded lifecycle of the project.
Henrietta Howard, a remarkable woman, overcame personal adversity to build an outstanding 18th-century house and garden at Marble Hill as a retreat for herself, her family and friends. Through this project English Heritage rejuvenated her creation, transforming it into a vibrant public park, enabling everyone to experience the pleasure Henrietta and her circle found there. The vision was to restore and interpret the 1752 and later 18th century house and landscape, providing within it enhanced high quality sports facilities for everyone.
The restored house will be free of charge on an increased opening regime. The historic stables have been restored as a visitor hub, providing commercial sustainability through a café and shop which open daily, and through hospitality opportunities. English Heritage have worked in partnership with local organisations to deliver outstanding events, education and training programmes. These, with a new volunteer programme, have delivered a welcoming and inclusive environment, sustainable well beyond the funded lifecycle of the project.
 
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THE MARBLE HILL MASTERPLAN
The proposals for the Marble Hill Revived Project aim to balance the historic significance of the site, with the environmental potential of the park and an enhanced offer for broader audience of park users. Together these themes will enable a sustainable future for Marble Hill Park to be developed.
The proposals for the Marble Hill Revived Project aim to balance the historic significance of the site, with the environmental potential of the park and an enhanced offer for broader audience of park users. Together these themes will enable a sustainable future for Marble Hill Park to be developed.
Basement Plan
Ground Floor Plan
Marble Hill Park has the potential to reconnect the house and landscape through a considered programme of repair, restoration and enhancement works and increase the understanding and enjoyment of the park for all. Work will focus on the restoration, reinterpretation and development of the park’s core attributes: the Grade II* registered landscape; the public amenities of the wider park; and the Grade I listed House.
First Floor Plan
Second Floor Plan
PROPOSALS INCLUDE
- Repair and restore the original listed House.
- Introduce a platform lift to the House to improve accessibility for all.
- Represent and install new interpretation to the House.
- Refurbish the existing café.
- Develop the relationship between features of the parks heritage significance and healthy living through sport and recreation.
- Interpret the layers of landscape history with emphasis on the time of Henrietta Howard.
- The restoration of the lost 18th century Arcadian landscape and Sweet Walk.
- Refurbish the existing Sports Block
- Integration of a new play offer for young children.
Third Floor Plan
FRAMLINGHAM CASTLE
VISITOR IMPROVEMENTS PROJECTS & CONSERVATION WORKS
English Heritage identified that investment was needed at Framlingham Castle to dramatically improve the visitor experience to one of England’s most significant historic castle sites. As such the Visitor Improvements Project was developed to address key issues such as a lack of exhibition space and adequate catering facilities. Other key elements of the brief were to improve the retail facilities, address the poor accessibility for disabled visitors and improve visitor circulation generally on the site.
Framlingham Castle is a highly significant grade 1 listed and scheduled monument site of national importance. The first castle on the site dates to the early 12th century and took the classic form of a motte and bailey castle. In 1635 the castle was sold to a rich lawyer and philanthropist, Sir Robert Hitcham who left instructions after his death for the castle buildings to be demolished and a Workhouse built on the site of the medieval castle’s hall in 1729. Just over a hundred years later, the last Workhouse inmates left, and the building was used as a parish hall. The castle passed to English Heritage from the MOD in 1984 and as part of English Heritage becoming its own self funding charity in 2015 investment was secured to dramatically improve the visitor experience at Framlingham Castle and provide vital conservation work to the fabric.
English Heritage identified that improvements were needed in order to properly explain the remarkable history of the building to a larger audience. These improvements aim to ensure visitor numbers increase and provide financial sustainability for the castle long term.
The aspiration was to greatly improve the exhibition & interpretation space within the Workhouse building whilst creating a new internal café and improve the retail facilities. Other key elements to the project involve improving disabled access to all areas of the building including the wall walk, and general improvements to the visitor circulation on the site as a whole as existing visitor routes are confusing and their complexity detracts from the visitor experience.
The proposals involve the refurbishment and reordering of the three remaining buildings within the castle grounds: the Workhouse, the Red House and the White House. These three Grade 1 listed buildings are interconnected and are currently underutilised in terms of visitor facilities and experience. The proposals therefore include the re-introduction of a new first floor gallery within the Workhouse to connect the three buildings at first floor. This provides better access to the current Lanman Museum and to new interpretation space on first floor in the Red House. The main ground floor space of the Workhouse then becomes a welcoming café and retail space with support facilities such as the kitchen and storage within the Red House.
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Access is improved with a platform lift to the first floor gallery and as part of the second phase there will be permanent lift access to a converted exhibition space within the second floor roofspace as well as disabled access to the wall walk around the perimeter castle walls. This will include the formation of a new wall walk terrace to provide fantastic views back into the castle grounds and beyond.
In addition to the ‘Visitor Improvement Project’ it is intended to run a conservation repair project in parallel, to complete a four year programme of repair and consolidation works. The repair works will focus on the external envelope of the Workhouse, the Red House, and part of the curtain wall.
ENGLISH HERITAGE
THE ORANGERY, WREST PARK
ENGLISH HERITAGE VISITOR IMPROVEMENT PROJECTS
THE ORANGERY
The Orangery was constructed in the mid 1830’s roughly at the same time as Wrest Park House. As with the main house the Orangery was designed by its owner, Thomas Phillip 2nd Earl de Grey, who employed the architect James Clephane as clerk of works. The building is constructed in a Rococo style with the principal elevation being arranged in a rhythm of round arched openings containing French windows whilst the others have casement windows.
The Orangery was constructed in the mid 1830’s roughly at the same time as Wrest Park House. As with the main house the Orangery was designed by its owner, Thomas Phillip 2nd Earl de Grey, who employed the architect James Clephane as clerk of works. The building is constructed in a Rococo style with the principal elevation being arranged in a rhythm of round arched openings containing French windows whilst the others have casement windows.
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The structure is of yellow brickwork with the north, south and east elevations being decorated in cement render, a forerunner of Portland Cement with details executed in the same fine cement render. Acanthus Clews conservation architects were commissioned to oversee a complex programe of repairs to the walls, roof and interior of the orangery to provide a venue for major events within the Wrest Park Estate.
East Elevation Repairs
ARCHER PAVILLION, WREST PARK
ENGLISH HERITAGE VISITOR IMPROVEMENT PROJECTS
ARCHER PAVILLION
The Grade I listed Archer Pavilion is a rare and major example of an early garden building in the Baroque manner built between 1709-11 to the designs of Thomas Archer. Our work to the Archer Pavilion included recovering the dome and restoring the cupola, improving the lead detailing and rainwater disposal system to be more sustainable. Other work included repairs to the external masonry, brickwork and render details, conservation of the wall paintings and finishes internally.
The Grade I listed Archer Pavilion is a rare and major example of an early garden building in the Baroque manner built between 1709-11 to the designs of Thomas Archer. Our work to the Archer Pavilion included recovering the dome and restoring the cupola, improving the lead detailing and rainwater disposal system to be more sustainable. Other work included repairs to the external masonry, brickwork and render details, conservation of the wall paintings and finishes internally.
Work on site at the Archer Pavilion was challenging to deliver on time and budget as the specialist roofing contractor went into administration during the contract. However, the works were completed successfully with a brief delay for additional contract administration. Our team were able to work quickly and effectively to get another specialist team on site, to minimise the time delay and ensure quality in the works. Other projects were completed on time and budget.
