£1m restoration for palace masterpieces

Two 18th century masterpiece paintings at risk from a damaged palace roof are being protected by a new £1 million conservation project.

Blenheim Palace said the works were at risk of being "lost forever" if the project was not carried out.

The paintings being restored include the Great Hall ceiling work by Sir James Thornhill, from 1716, and Louis Laguerre's paintings of the Battle of Blenheim located in the Saloon.

The scheme forms part of a £12 million restoration of the palace's roof, set to finish in 2026.

The palace said a combination of "age, climate change and penetration from rainfall" had led to the declining state of the roof, attic timbers and ceilings.

Work on the roof and paintings is running concurrently, which the palace described as the "most ambitious undertaking" in its history.

The BBC was shown water damage to the Thornhill painting's surrounding stonework being painstakingly cleaned by conservators.

Kelly O'Driscoll, head of Built Heritage at Blenheim Palace, said the painting had been damaged by years of dirt and water ingress.

"We could end up losing this painting... it's a race against time to get it looked after", she said.

Lizzie Woolley, director of OPUS Conservation, said damage was currently limited to a metre away from the edge of the ceiling painting.

"If you leave it and the roof continues to deteriorate, you risk it coming closer in and damaging this masterpiece."

The year-long project is funded by The National Lottery Heritage Fund and the Blenheim Foundation.

The palace said the work would include new studies of the paintings and hands-on training for the "next generation of heritage professionals".

The palace said the Tate, The Courtauld Institute of Art and the University of Oxford would all contribute to the research.

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