Something’s afoot as TV focuses on our treasures
THERE was usually no shortage of surprises for guests who stayed at the playful, partying Northumberland stately home of the Delaval family.
But a girl with three feet would have topped the list.
A third foot on a girl portrayed in a Seaton Delaval Hall painting has been detected during conservation work.
The oddity in the painting of two Delaval sisters has emerged in a forthcoming TV series titled Hidden Treasures of the National Trust.
Tomorrow, Cragside, Seaton Delaval Hall and Cherryburn in Northumberland will feature in the new BBC2 series.
The programme will reveal the work done by conservators and curators in the Trust.
With many objects still housed in the places for which they were made or bought, they help to tell the stories of and reflect the national scale and importance of the many properties in the care of the Trust.
The series introduces audiences to volunteers and staff revealing their passion, dedication and affection for the places and collections they help to maintain.
At Cragside, viewers will see behind the scenes while staff and volunteers help to repair Lord Armstrong’s clock, which has lain silent for 15 years.
At Seaton Delaval Hall, the portrait of the Delaval sisters, which once hung in the Central Hall, will be examined, with it appearing to have suffered from the years of Delaval partying – including apparent damage from a champagne cork.
At Cherryburn, the birthplace of engraver and naturalist Thomas Bewick, famed for his books on animals and birds, and now home to an important collection of his engravings, viewers will see the quality and detail of his work.
Jo Moody, cultural heritage Curator for National Trust in the North said: “It’s fantastic to showcase the care and attention that goes into the work of the teams in the North East, and throughout the National Trust.
“To be able to shine a light on the intricate and often costly work that goes into conserving these special objects is amazing and we hope viewers take the opportunity to come and visit these brilliant pieces of the collection in person.”
The six-part series will visit some of the National Trust locations including Churchill’s home, Chartwell in Kent, as well as lesser-known places such as Hardman’s House in Liverpool, which is home to a nationally significant collection of photographs.
Alistair Pegg from BBC Arts said: “Almost six million are members of the National Trust, but in this series we wanted to offer viewers a chance to discover something that visitors don’t normally see – the efforts behind the scenes to care for the wonderful gardens, the houses and their treasures, that together tell a story about us all.”
Tarnya Cooper, Conservation and Curation Director for the National Trust said this about the series “Trying to convey the scale of the responsibility we have to look after 500 places for the benefit of the nation, is not easy. However, this series brings to life the quantity and diversity of the objects and places in our care, and the skills of our staff, volunteers, and the specialists we work with.
“We will be spending £360m on conservation projects across our houses, collections and gardens over the next three years and viewers will be get a sense of the fact that on any one day we could be conserving a puppet from the Second World War, through to 2,000 year old Roman sculptures, and everything in between.”