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Broughton House |
Broughton House – the former Kirkcudbright home of renowned Scottish artist E A Hornel – has just reopened its doors after being closed for nearly two years for extensive renovations.
Those re-visiting the National Trust for Scotland property won’t even need to go indoors to notice changes afoot – for a start, the exterior façade of the building has turned to pink!
The renovations were necessary to stop the rot of such problems as dampness and light damage, while modernising facilities and creating a more interactive exhibition, presenting the house as closely as possible to how it was during Hornel’s occupation of it from 1901 to 1933.
‘Our guiding principle has been to preserve and conserve as much of the original fabric and surface textures as possible,’ David McAllister, the Director of the South Region National Trust for Scotland explains. ‘For the first time we are able to invite you behind the scenes, to areas of Hornel’s house not previously on public view, which give greater insight to the life and passions of this great artist, gardener, collector and bibliophile.’
As the entrance had been raised and set back from the street, water had been seeping into the cellars below, causing long-standing damp problems. High levels of humidity posed a risk to the interiors and collections, so extensive measures have been taken to rectify these problems.
The decision to coat the exterior stonework with a protective pink limewash was based on historic photographs which show that the walls of Broughton House were limewashed during the time he lived there. The colour was identified by analysing samples from surviving pigment discovered on the house’s sheltered elevations.
It’s painstaking work and a team of experts of every description from the building trade, conservation, publicity and education have been co-ordinating their efforts to restore the house to its former glory. The Friends of Broughton House and Garden were also invaluable in volunteering their time and skills.
The main aim was to recreate the house as closely as possible to how it was during Hornel’s occupation of it from 1901 – 1933, but still being sensitive to the pre-history as the house dates back to the 1730s and had many prestigious owners before the famous artist moved in. Previous occupants included provosts, ministers, bailies and the 5th Earl of Selkirk
In this month's issue Alan Cochrane writes about new penalties for wildlife crimes. Do you think it would be fair to ban keepers for life for certain wildlife crimes?
