15th January 2020

Updates and News

Restoration and Conservation Tours at Blenheim Palace 10 January – 9 February, 2020

UNESCO World Heritage Site, Blenheim Palace Oxfordshire, are launching a Year of Restoration beginning with Restoration & Conservation Tours allowing visitors to see behind the scenes of their epic deep-clean of the historic State Rooms.

The 'Restoration & Conservation' tour will be exclusively available from 10 January – 9 February, 2020, running twice per day excluding Sundays. The tours will tie in to the annual deep clean of Blenheim Palace which will now be on full to visitors during this period.

Kate Ballenger, Head of House & Collections at Blenheim Palace: “Each year, when the Palace is usually closed, the Operations team, accompanied by various specialists, complete the 'deep clean'. This process is much more than just cleaning, it is the careful review of the entire collection followed by a thorough cleaning programme alongside the ongoing conservation and restoration work.

This tour of the Palace gives insights into both the deep clean and the conservation and restoration that is happening at present and has happened in the past.”

Shedding light on two very important aspects of running a 300-year-old Palace, including restoring a piece of art, building or tapestry to its original condition, visitors will learn about preservation and repair of the historical and cultural site and its artefacts. The tour will also examine the theme of renovation, exploring how Blenheim Palace must also modernise and remain as a comfortable family home and appealing to visitors.

The fascinating tour will also look at the most impactful projects including The Eyes in 1928. Painted for the 2nd wife of the 9th Duke, Gladys Deacon, these have a great visual impact on visitors. Exposure to the elements over 80 years had caused the painting and plaster work to degrade to a point where they were barely visible.

From clocks to paintings each piece of work often requires specialist and niche attention, with specialists sought from all over the world to complete the painstaking tasks of restoring priceless pieces of history.