Castle conservation

Eagle eyed visitors to Raby Castle in the early months of 2022 will have noticed that The Keep tower had been clad in scaffolding. Thanks to a grant from Historic England and Historic House Foundation, we have been able to carry out some much-needed roof repairs and conservation work on The Keep’s distinctive clock and sundial faces. We caught up with Castle Curator, Julie Biddlecombe-Brown to find out more.

The work provided a perfect opportunity for us to delve into the history of these important time-pieces. In the days before mechanical clocks, fixed and portable sundials were the commonest means of telling the time. The earliest surviving sundial that the castle team were aware of was the metal dial fixed to The Keep wall… or so we thought. When the metal sundial was removed to travel to specialist conservators Smith of Derby, a second dial was revealed, painted directly onto the castle wall. Paint analysis and research is currently being carried out on this surprising discovery.

Clock and sundial before conservation works

 

Second sundial revealed

The two dials of the castle clock were also sent for conservation and re-gilding. Paintings dating from the late 18th century show the clock facing out from Bulmer’s Tower, only really visible from the Park. The clock was probably moved to The Keep tower in the 1840s where it could be seen more easily by the family, their guests and staff.

This move would have coincided with the standardisation of British time as a result of the growth of the railways, where ‘local time’ measured on sundials by the position of the sun in the sky, was too unreliable for tight railway timetables. It has remained there ever since as the lovely watercolour from Raby Castle’s 1903 visitors book shows. Our research on the clock and sundials continues and we will
share our discoveries in a special Raby Castle blog later on in the year now that these important time-pieces are back in situ.

Clock and sundial after conservation

Watch Timelapse

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A grant from Historic England has been awarded to Raby Estate for important repairs to Raby Castle’s historic 14^th century Keep Tower, and the 19^th century clock faces and sundial. The Keep is one of Raby’s nine towers, located in the centre of the castle. In the medieval period the base of the Keep incorporated access to the castle’s well, and the tower protected this important source of fresh water. Above ground, each floor provided levels of living accommodation for members of the powerful Nevill family and their retinue.

Over the centuries, the roof of The Keep has benefitted from repair and maintenance. Along with the rest of the castle, it is inspected regularly by Castle architects Donald Insall Associates. This grant allows re-roofing, repairs and conservation work to take place in early 2022, replacing cracked and patched sections of the lead work and keeping the castle and its contents safe from water damage.

The two historic clock dials and the castle sundial are open to the elements on the north and south walls of The Keep. Over time, the faces of these historic timepieces have been damaged by the harsh British weather and will receive full conservation and restoration by historic clock specialists. Repainted and gilding using traditional, hardwearing techniques will breathe new life into the faces of the historic timepieces so that they can continue to display the time in the years to come.

Harry Vane, 12th Lord Barnard is the current owner of the castle, whose family have lived in the spectacular medieval building for almost 400 years. Lord Barnard thanked Historic England and Historic Houses Foundation for awarding this grant to Raby;

“We are delighted to have been awarded funding by Historic England via the Historic Houses Foundation to carry out important repair and conservation work on Raby Castle’s historic Keep Tower. This grant supports the vital programme of ongoing repair and maintenance required to ensure that this outstanding Grade I listed building can be enjoyed by future generations”.

The grant, from Historic England, has been received through the Historic Houses Foundation as part of the second round of the Heritage Stimulus Fund.

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