Dyrham Park house transformed after completion of major project

Dyrham Park is sparkling with 17th-century life once more, thanks to a massive project to revitalise, restore and reimagine the baroque house.

Following the roof replacement in 2016, plans have been underway to re-present the house as created by owner William Blathwayt in the late 1600s by telling its stories, showcasing its collection and highlighting its historic features.

The main part of the work is now complete, including: 

• Staircases have been re-stabilised and restored. 
• Walls and panelling have been made to look like high quality wood through a highly-skilled and painstaking process of re-graining, involving fine brushes and feathers. 
• Paintings have been cleaned, repositioned and rehung. 
• Key rooms have been redecorated to historic designs. 
• Lighting has been carefully balanced to protect and illuminate collection items, allowing previously hidden details in tapestries, furniture, architectural features and paintings to be enjoyed once more. 
• Two Georgian chandeliers, which had been in safe storage since work started on the roof project in 2014, have been electrified and rehung in the Great Hall and another one in the Gilt Leather Parlour. 
• A beautifully crafted trompe-l'oeil screen has been created to represent Blathwayt’s highly-ornate long-lost Japan Closet that was once there. It includes exquisite floral and striped silk hangings and striking blue-black paint, colour-matched to the original, overlaid with gold decoration based on 17th-century designs. 

Experiencing the house is multi-sensory. As well as the visual impact, there are objects to feel and touch and scents to take in. Music, live and recorded, rings through the Great Hall, birdsong fills the entrance hall and a short film brings to life the context of the house’s place in history. 

Visitors can try on and create their own 17th-century silhouette by borrowing hats and wigs as well as delivering notes of feedback to William Blathwayt on his home.

On entering the house, there’s a model of the house and grounds and a framed family tree. Each room has a name tile with a brief descriptive sentence made in the style of Dutch Delftware to get a snapshot into that room. For those who want to delve deeper, there are wooden boxes containing text to read and a selection of labelled objects to explore. Those interested in specific collection items can look at more detailed room books.

Some work remains to a secret passage that links the house to the village church and to the walls in the house’s Gilt Leather Parlour, where specially created globes will be on display as well as newly-acquired books from Blathwayt’s collection.

General Manager Tom Boden said: ‘The work done is a triumph. The quality of the restoration, conservation, re-graining, lighting, fires, candles, new furniture, trompe l’oeil walls, flooring and all the new interpretation that has now been installed, really is breath-taking and collectively it makes the house and collection sparkle. So much has been achieved.’

Georgiana Hockin, Experiences and Partnerships Curator, added: ‘Our aim was to make the rooms sing. We’ve worked to create that magic and to ignite a special connection between our visitors and this place. The work started with highly-skilled conservation work on the stairs which restored them with a renewed depth, richness and beauty which reflects the age, quality and significance of the house. We now hope visitors will enjoy experiencing the rest of the house re-presented in this way.’

The project was carefully managed to allow for minimal closures so visitors could, as much as possible, see the work as it progressed. Screens with viewing windows were installed, visitor routes were regularly changed, and the work was done in stages to allow sections to stay open throughout. The main work started in 2019 with a significant pause during the pandemic.

Senior Project Manager Tim Cambourne said: 'The house is once again a key feature in a visit to Dyrham Park. If you’ve been before or have never been before, we’d urge you to come now as it’s totally different. We're delighted that, after being on hold for the best part of a year and a half during the pandemic, the work is now more or less complete and looks fantastic. A big thank you to all our supporters and funders.’

The work in the house was paid for by National Trust funds and fundraising as well as donations and grants from individuals and charitable trusts including The David Webster Charitable Trust, The Medlock Charitable Trust and the Wolfson Foundation. A grant provided by the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport's Culture Recovery Fund and support from Little Greene covered much of the costs of the decorative works. Funding has also been provided by the Royal Oak Foundation, the American membership affiliate of the National Trust whose mission is to raise awareness of the advance the work of the National Trust by inspiring support from the United States.

The context of the house and its history is outlined in an adjoining exhibition opened in 2021 in a space not before open to visitors. All about the fast-changing world of the late 17th century, it sets the scene of the 1690s when Blathwayt started rebuilding Dyrham Park. It introduces the transforming local, national and global climate of the period, at a time when Blathwayt was the leading colonial administrator of his age.

The work in the house is part of a site-wide project called 'Dyrham Park Rework'd' to create an engaging and meaningful journey into the 17th century while giving people more space to park, eat, shop and play. Many elements are now complete, including the exhibition, a brand-new café and revamped play area in the parkland at Old Lodge, new paths to allow year-round access to the wider site, heating and draft-proofing the basement, and restored historic wrought-iron garden gates.

Next on the to-do list is the laying of 17th-century layout of parterre, topiary and paving on the West Terrace, creating a striking approach to the house. 

Dyrham Park is open daily from 10am to 5pm, with last entry at 4pm. The house is open from 11:30am. 

Further information can be found at www.nationaltrust.org.uk/dyrham-park.