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The
sumptuous designs for the new Wardour Castle form the centrepiece
of the archive, which has been conserved and catalogued by staff
at the Wiltshire and Swindon Record Office in Trowbridge.
The
team has spent more than a decade cataloguing, conserving and preserving
the Arundell family archive and have now completed the marathon
task.
The
Arundells were a wealthy, aristocratic Wiltshire family who bought
the original Wardour Castle - now a picturesque ruin - in 1547.
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| Old
Wardour Castle |
The
old castle was severely damaged during a Civil War siege and was
later abandoned.
The
Arundells were supporters of the Royalist cause and the castle was
first seized by Parliamentary forces and then reclaimed by the family
- but only at the cost of its destruction.
The
magnificent new Wardour Castle was built in the popular Palladian
or classical style during 1770s.
The
Arundell archive includes detailed plans for the new Wardour Castle,
providing a fascinating insight into European architectural styles
of the period.
The
architect, Giacomo Quarenghi, who was later the principal architect
of the then Russian capital, St Petersburg, worked on a spectacular
chapel for the new house, as the Arundells were an important Catholic
family.
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 The
plans for the new Wardour Castle are incredibly detailed...
they
contribute to our understanding of European architecture and
design during the 18th century...
|
| Steve
Hobbs, County Archivist |
The
archive contains around 500 drawings and plans. Preservation work
involved removing the drawings from acidic backing paper and placing
them in polyester film.
Several
large estate maps - including one of Wardour Park from 1753 - were
also conserved, and these items can now all be seen by members of
the public.
The
catalogue for the archive is now available on the Internet at www.a2a.pro.gov.uk.
Steve
Hobbs, archivist at Wiltshire County Council, said: "The plans
for the new Wardour Castle are incredibly detailed.
"They
contribute to our understanding of European architecture and design
during the 18th century, as they include a wide range of ideas and
schemes from which the actual plans were selected."
The
new Wardour Castle was sold by the family after the death of the
last Lord Arundell - who was a prisoner of war in the notorious
Colditz Castle during the Second World War - and it then became
a private school. In recent years, the building has been turned
into luxury apartments.
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