The conservation project

A £10-million project
The conservation work at Ightham Mote began back in 1989, and the final phase was completed early in 2004. Altogether, it has cost around £10 million, representing the painstaking approach to the renovation that has seen the building completely taken apart, recorded and rebuilt. Only the foundations and some of the walls have remained untouched during this process and even these have been carefully examined with impulse radar equipment to identify cracks, cavities and water penetration within the stonework.

Soon after the National Trust was bequeathed the property by the American businessman, Charles Henry Robinson, in 1985, it became apparent that it would require complete renovation to safeguard it for the future. The National Trust decided that it was such a unique building, incorporating changes, additions and even bodge repairs – from a range of different periods and fashions – that it was important to preserve everything.

Revealed and concealed
This even included features that would not be visible once the renovation was completed because they would be concealed behind walls, ceilings, panelling or other parts of the building. Among the hidden 'treasures' revealed by the restoration process but now covered up again are an original 15th-century roof support and wattle and daub plasterwork from the attic; a large, rough-cut tree trunk used in a 17th-century roof repair; 19th-century wallpaper completely covering the walls underneath the panelling in the library; painted marbling on the walls of the south west quarter bedroom and corridor; and a beautifully detailed, tiny sketch of the view to the Oriel Room adjacent to a window overlooking the courtyard.

Because of the scale of the work required, the National Trust came up with a plan to work on one part of the house at a time. This enabled the Trust to keep the property open to visitors and maintain a flow of income while the work progressed. It also meant that the public could see for themselves what was being done, with special viewing windows and information panels being provided to keep them informed.

Recorded, removed and rebuilt
At every stage of the project, before anything was removed, every detail was painstakingly measured, drawn and photographed. An exact record was made, not only so that it could all be put back together again in precisely the same way but also to facilitate future interpretation and understanding of the different phases and techniques involved in the building's construction.

Time Team followed the final year of the renovation project, focusing on the south west quarter of the house. This phase of the work took about 21 months altogether and cost around £2 million. In the process, the south west quarter was stripped to ground level and then put back together again. As Time Team's Phil Harding said when he first saw it, 'You're not renovating it, you've gutted it!'

The south west quarter includes the private apartment of its last private owner, Charles Henry Robinson, which has been restored the way he left it. This completed a restoration that represents all of the major phases in the building's 700-year history, from its beginning in the early 1300s.

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