I recently had a conversation about early 19th century woodwork with my friend Chris Swan, Senior Furniture Conservator at Colonial Williamsburg. Prior to the Industrial Revolution, architectural woodwork and furniture were all made by hand and although there would have been differences in the levels of refinement, they had one thing in common – the…
A small scrap of paper in the walls of the c.1810 Chancognie House in Charleston, SC led to an interesting discovery about early 20th century patent medicines.
It’s all in the details as the saying goes – and with historic houses, once details are gone, they are often gone for good. And details are why I am stripping paint here at the Chancognie House in the midst of a heat wave. The wooden siding on the Chancognie House was made with a…
I have seen East Battery deserted in advance of a hurricane, but I have never seen it this quiet on such a beautiful day. Before a hurricane, most of the houses here would be boarded up with shutters closed, bracing for the weather ahead, so this was an unusual opportunity to take pictures of the…
As someone who is always in the midst of projects here at the Chancongnie House, I have learned to embrace, enjoy and learn from the process itself. I relish the opportunity to observe work in progress, so it was a special treat to visit Auckland Castle in County Durham with the Attingham Summer School last…
During my visit to Calke Abbey with the Attingham Summer School last year, opinions were mixed about the site. Some appreciated the unusual insight into the history of the family that had lived there for centuries while others viewed it as a cautionary tale about the consequences of rarely throwing anything away. Built by Sir…
The start of the 68th Attingham Summer School yesterday brought back wonderful memories from attending last year. Attingham was an amazing experience to study the architecture, art, decorative arts, landscape and material culture of English country houses from medieval times to the late 19th century. It was an incredible opportunity and I am still learning…
For most of my time here at the Chancognie House, work has focused on restoration – bringing various parts of the house, such as the second-floor piazza archways, pictured below, back to their original appearance. Recently, as you may have noticed from my posts on Instagram and Facebook, I embarked on a renovation project here…
Like most early American cities, Charleston has a long history of fires both small and large. Wooden buildings in close proximity to each other along with fire-building for cooking and warmth were all too often a combustible combination. The fire of April 27-28, 1838 burned over 500 properties and stopped just down the street from…
Raby Castle has weathered tumultuous times during a history that spans more than 600 years, and this is reflected in the building itself. Built by the powerful Nevill family in the 14th century, most of the exterior dates to this period. After a series of changes in ownership due to political turmoil, the Castle was…
The Accidental Preservationist 