Behind the restoration: new films reveal conservation in action at Boughton House

At Boughton House, conservation is not only about preserving the past – it is about keeping a living historic home meaningful, beautiful and accessible for future generations.

This summer, two new films invite viewers behind the scenes of major restoration work at the Northamptonshire estate: the careful conservation of the Great Hall’s spectacular painted ceiling by Louis Chéron, and the sensitive restoration of Star Pond within Boughton’s historic gardens and parkland.

Each project tells a different story of heritage conservation at a historic house — one focused on fine art, interiors and specialist craftsmanship; the other on landscape restoration, water management, biodiversity and long-term environmental stewardship.

Conserving the Great Hall Ceiling

The Great Hall ceiling is one of Boughton House’s most striking interior features. Painted by French artist Louis Chéron, it forms part of a wider programme of conservation across nine prominent rooms, including the Egyptian Hall and the Great Hall itself.

The first film captures the extraordinary scale of the ceiling restoration project and the specialist skills involved. Running from late 2024 into spring 2025, the work brought together ten conservators, working alongside art historians and Chéron experts, to conserve and restore the artist’s original masterpiece.

Among many discoveries made during the project was a painted inscription reading “Cleaned by C.B. Savage 1956–58”, a quiet testament to restoration work carried out nearly 70 years ago. Since then, conservation techniques have advanced considerably, allowing today’s specialists to sensitively remove an accumulation of dirt and grime, and in some places, areas of earlier restoration work, much of which had discoloured, obscuring areas of original paint, and at times revealing the artist’s original schemes as they were meant to be seen, three centuries ago.

Where areas of earlier restoration had discoloured, today’s conservation approach has allowed original detail, colour and intention to re-emerge. In places where water damage had sadly left parts of the ceiling beyond repair, new sections have been carefully created in collaboration with Duke Richard, Scott MacDonald, Mark Perry of the Perry Lithgow Partnership Ltd., and François Marandet, adding a new chapter to the ceiling’s evolving story.

Visitors can see the Great Hall as part of Boughton House tours, with pre-booking recommended.

Restoring Star Pond and the Historic Landscape

The second film follows the restoration of Star Pond, one of Boughton’s key historic garden features. This was far more than a visual restoration: the project introduced environmental improvements including a fish pass, new wetland areas and upstream work designed to help alleviate flooding.

Over the past two decades, the team at Boughton House has been gradually reawakening areas of the formal parkland, restoring water features and avenues to their former grandeur. Star Pond and its cascades sit at the heart of this work and can now be enjoyed from both inside and outside the Park.

Dating back to Ralph, 1^st Duke of Montagu (1638–1709), the gardens at Boughton are thought to have been inspired by those of Louis XIV at the Palace of Versailles, where Ralph served as court ambassador. Star Pond was created by Ralph’s son, the 2^nd Duke of Montagu, and is one of many historic water features at Boughton.

Following the death of the 2^nd Duke of Montagu, the landscape was subject to what has often been described as “benign neglect”, until the 8^th Duke of Buccleuch inherited the Estate in 1935. Under the stewardship of the  9^th Duke and his son Richard, the present Duke, key elements of the Designed Landscape have been restored and revitalised, including most recently the Star Pond.

David Cullum, Parks and Gardens Manager at Boughton Estate, said: “Star Pond has been a long and rewarding restoration project, and this new video gives people a rare behind-the-scenes look at the care, craft and collaboration involved. We are delighted that visitors will now be able to pause and enjoy this historic view when Boughton reopens in August.”

“When designing the restoration, we were keen not only to bring back its dramatic visual impact but also to ensure the work created an environmental legacy. Over time, Star Pond and its surroundings will become an area of improved water quality and new habitats for a variety of species.

“We have created floodwater management areas and installed a fish pass so that fish can continue safely on to the River Ise.”