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Historic Property Restoration - The Menagerie, Coventry
The recently aired Channel Five televisionprogramme "Build a new life in the country"
featured the total restoration of the Grade II
listed Menagerie by Richard Keble and Jane
Kinnaird.
The derelict 18th century historic 235 year old
country house in the heart of rural Warwickshire
called The Menagerie, was built as a private zoo
and hunting lodge for the magnificent Coombe
Abbey estate nearby. Designed by architect Henry
Holland, who was best known for his work on the
Marine Pavilion at Brighton, Sussex which was
designed for the Prince Regent, the Theatre Royal,
Drury Lane, and the Royal Opera House. It is
said that he was influenced in this design by the
Menagerie at the Palace of Versailles.
The 8 acres of gardens and lake, were designed by
landscape architect, Capability Brown. It is
estimated that Brown was responsible for over 170
gardens surrounding the finest country houses and
estates in Britain. Blenheim Palace, Kew Gardens,
Warwick Castle, Harewood House, Bowood House and
Milton Abbey are just a few.
This project was a huge undertaking. The property
had suffered at the hands of vandals who had set
many fires inside the building - one of which
nearly destroyed the three story staircase. The
damage caused by the natural elements was
extensive and the Death Watch Beetle had moved in.
All of this meant that before any renovation
work could take place, half the budget had to be
spent at the start of the project on major
structural work. Once the roof was back on and
the property made watertight then the painstaking
tasks of restoring the building to its former
glory really began.
Whilst tradesmen got to work in the interior of
the building, contractors were brought in to
clear the overgrown garden. For the first time
in thirty years the lake could once again be seen
and the full beauty of the building can once
again be appreciated.
Jane set to work on the interior design, and
mixed traditional decoration with many modern and
convenient features and products. She was
determined to keep the interior in keeping with
the age of the building and the end result is
stunning. Faithfully reproduced soft furnishing
and carpets take you back to a time long gone,
but the modern day comforts are all there too.
Details of this renovation project can be found
on the Channel Five website (http://homes.five.tv/
jsp/5hmain.jsp'lnk=450_1&featureid=903&programme=
Build20New20in20Country&show=
s3e2§ion=Features) and also at http://www.
projectrestoration.tv/menagerie.php
Will they take on another sad and neglected
building.....possibly
UK Plumbing Ltd (www.uk-plumbing.com) were very
pleased to be able to supply the central heating
boilers for this project.