State Library Ceiling - Restoration Project As part of the ongoing restoration of Stowe House, after two successful projects Stowe House Preservation Trust is currently applying to the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) for the next phase of restoration money for the State Library, part of the 3rd phase of restoration. Originally built as the State Ballroom in the 1740's, of which only the lower cornice and the sprung floorboards remain, it was later converted in 1793 into the State Library which is when the beautiful Neo-Classical ceiling is thought to have been added. In 1805, when the Gothic Library was built below, the narrow corridor outside the State Library was widened to form the Ante-Library. The State Library changed it's name in 1848 to the Large Library to distinguish between it and the Gothic Library. The Large Library was the scene for the magnificent Service of Plate in the great 1848 sale, said to be one of the finest in the country at the time. The sale also meant the selling of the 20,000 volumes of printed books, collected mainly by the refined Marquess of Buckingham during his 30 year ownership of the estate. In 1889, when the Comte de Paris, pretender to the French throne, rented Stowe House with his family, he was said to have spent many a happy hour in the Library, with a desk for himself and one for his wife. In 1900, when the family was struggling to maintain the huge property, the Mansard roof above the Library (equivalent to the one above the State Dining Room) was in a poor condition and, due to the lack of money, replaced with a flat roof. Over the years, the weight of the plaster ceiling, the weakened timber structure, and weathering and water damage have resulted in leaving the Library roof and ceiling in a state of emergency. As a result, the existing roof timbers will have to be repaired or replaced and a new Mansard roof built to take the weight of the ceiling. The ornate plaster ceiling will be restored to it's former glory - conservation scrapings suggested that it was originally gilded. The opportunity will also be taken to restore the originally mahogany bookcases (unsold in the 1922 sale), the cracked marble hearths by the fireplaces, restore the Ante-Library and consolidate the stonework damage occurring on the South Elevation. The HLF provides most of the capital but the project has to find a further 25%. To make a donation to Stowe house Preservation Trust please click here. For public events at Stowe House please click here.
