Hard Hat Thursdays

23rd July, 2014

Art admirers are being invited to experience first-hand the on-going conservation of some of the nation’s finest historic monuments in Warkton.

St Edmund’s Church in the Northamptonshire village will open its doors on Thursdays in August to allow visitors to witness the continuing transformation of the centuries old Montagu Monuments.

Commemorating four prominent member of the Montagu family, ancestors of the Duke of Buccleuch who resides at nearby Boughton House, the Carrera marble sculptures include two much-celebrated works by the renowned Huguenot sculptor, Louis Francois Roubiliac, whose work also adorns Westminster Abbey.

Gareth Fitzpatrick MBE, of the Buccleuch Living Heritage Trust, said: “over the years these wonderful marbles have suffered internal damage. Now, an exciting conservation project, funded by the Buccleuch Living Heritage Trust, St Edmund’s Church Council and the Heritage Lottery Fund, is underway and will be completed by the end of 2014. Therefore, this is a unique opportunity to see conservation in action.”

The Montagu Monuments will open to the public between 10am and 4pm on Thursdays in August, when the conservation team from Skillingtons Workshop will be on hand to answer questions about the project.

Restoration work on the £498k project began in Spring 2014 and is expected to be completed by 2015. 

The special openings coincide with the Summer opening of the House and Gardens at Boughton House during the month of August, where visitors to the House, known as the English Versailles, can experience some of the nation’s finest art and architecture, including the works of Gainsborough and Van Dyck. For more information visit www.boughtonhouse.co.uk.