In April 2015 this stunning country house at Clandon was ravaged by a fire, completely gutting the building and destroying many of the treasures in the house, all that was left was this shell, which I shot images of in the October of 2015.
Clandon Park was one of the country’s most complete examples of a Palladian mansion, built for the Onslow family in the 1720s. Given to us in 1956, the house showcased a superb collection of 18th century furniture, porcelain and textiles.
Hinemihi Maori (meeting house) comes to Clandon Park
1891 William Hillier, 4th Earl of Onslow, was approaching the end of his term as Governor of New Zealand and wanted a souvenir of the country he loved, to take back to his family home in England.A sum of £50 was swiftly agreed by the son of Chief Aporo, to purchase Hinemihi. An official hand-written bill-of-sale was drawn up and dated January 27 1892. Easily dismantled and transported, Hinemihi was shipped to England.
At the end of the slideshow you will see; The Dutch Garden
This sunken garden was created between 1897 and 1902. The garden was originally modelled on the Sunken Garden at Hampton Court. The garden is formed by clipped hedges and topiary, centred around a small statue in a circular pool.