Refurbishing the Perseus and Andromeda Fountain
A 2016 refurbishment project of the Perseus and Andromeda fountain at Witley Court and Gardens provided a rare chance to go eye-to-eye with the spectacular statues before the fountains were once again fired up.
Find out more about the refurbishment project and watch our video to discover how a stonemason returned the statues to their former glory.
Dramatic Ruin
Witley Court in Worcestershire was devastated by fire in 1937 and has remained a dramatic ruin ever since. But its stunning Perseus and Andromeda fountain - one of the grandest in Europe - has been delighting visitors to the property since it was fully restored in 2003.
Over the years since, vegetation had covered it to the point that the details of its stonework were no longer visible.
In the week prior to its closure for refurbishment in August 2016, the fountain was fired up the hour before being shut down so the cleaning and conservation work could get started.
A closer look
Over the autumn and winter of 2016 scaffolding was erected to enable steam cleaning and masonry repairs, hiding it from view, says Joanna Hull, project manager for the restoration work.
So Joanna and her team decided to build a temporary platform alongside the scaffolding for visitors to get a closer look at the statues as they were worked on, including Andromeda, whose right arm was reattached following weather damage.
Getting eye-to-eye with the statues was 'an opportunity that won't come along again in a long time,' Joanna says.
Video: Conservation in action
Curator Win Scutt provides an insider's view of the historical significance of the once-spectacular 17th-century house at Witley Court and Gardens.
He also tells the story of the project to refurbish the Perseus and Andromeda fountain, as well a providing an insight into the job of an English Heritage curator.
