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Arethusa Fountain-Bushy Park

Project Details

Practice

Martin Ashley Architects

745, 7th Floor, Regal House , 70 London Road , Twickenham , Greater London , TW1 3QS , United Kingdom

We were commissioned in 2009 to restore the Arethusa (Diana) Fountain and its water display as part of the Bushy Park Restoration Project. Attributed to Inigo Jones, the fountain was first erected in the 1630s at Somerset House, before being moved to Hampton Court and again to the Grand Avenue in Bushy Park. Its beautiful bronze work - including figures by the French royal sculptor, Le Sueur, is supported by a fine base of Cararra marble, black Belgian marble and Portland stone. Following a comprehensive survey, the surrounding lake was drained and the bronzes removed for specialist conservation. We were then able to pay close attention to the structure and stone work. The Cararra marble was cleaned by hand before further DOFF steam cleaning, and hard resin pointing was replaced by more appropriate lime mortar pointing. The original plinth, which had split, was replaced with a new one carved to match the original profiles. Cleaning of the Portland stone revealed that more extensive repairs were required here, so a covered workshop was erected to allow restoration work to continue on site. We also found that iron cramps and fixings, which were causing further damage, were replaced with stainless steel and bronze substitutes. Elements that were found to be missing or beyond repair were carefully and sensitively replaced with new carvings. The pipework supplying the fountain was restored before the bronzes were refixed and Arethusa - stunninly regilded - was placed on top. The Fountain now stands as an active feature and a highlight of the Bushy Park landscape.