Clandon Park collection update

The National Trust has revealed items from the collection at Clandon Park that have been salvaged from the fire that ripped through the Grade 1-listed building.

Objects saved include a painting of the Speaker Arthur Onslow calling on Sir Robert Walpole to speak in the House of Commons, by Sir James Thornhill  and William Hogarth, 1730.

The painting of an ostrich in a classical landscape, oil on canvas, by Francis Barlow (c.1626–1704), probably painted in the 1670s, was also retrieved from the Marble Hall.

Also recovered from the library of the 18th-century stately home, was a bible printed by John Basket in 1716-1717, and a folding screen incorporating Victorian and Edwardian Onslow family photographs.

A pair of giltwood side tables in the manner of John Gurnley and James Moore, made in about 1725, were rescued from the state bedroom along with the hangings of the Clandon state bed, made in about 1710 which had just returned to Clandon following conservation treatment and were still packed up.

The National Trust’s director general, Helen Ghosh, said: “Although the house was pretty well burned out, the operation rescued a significant amount of the collection, and we are hopeful there will be more to recover when our specialists are able to get inside the building and start the painstaking archaeological salvage work. But there is a lot that we will never recover.”

When the overall impact of the fire is clearer, the trust will be able to decide on the long-term future of the house, she added.

To make a donation for restoration work subscribers can call 0344 800 1895 or donate online at www.nationaltrust.org.uk.