NEWS After years of neglect, the River God by John Bacon has been completely restoredand resited in a prominent position in Terrace Gardens, Richmond. The restoration of this important Coade stonefigure was carried out by conservators Taylor Pearce, the £15,000 project beingftmded by an appeal initiated by the Richmond Society. The one ton statue, which took pride of place in Mrs Coade s I 784 catalogue, was originally purchased for 100 guineas by the Duke of Montague for the pleasure gardens he was then laying out. The subject of an etching by Blake, only three other versionsof Bacons River God survive according to Peter Locke, architect and advisor to the Richmond Society. "Its one of thefinest pieces made by the Coade manufactory and its importance is increased by its rarity." ft is also the largest Coade work every cast in a single piece. Of the three figures, one, in Coade, stands in the forecourt of Ham House; another, a bronze, is in the courtyard of Somerset House; and the last, in natural stone, is located at Powerscourt in Ireland. The Somerset House bronze was used by Taylor Pearceas the pattern from which to reproduce a missing left leg, rightfoot and hand. One interesting discovery was that the leg circumference of the bronzefigure was 2 mm larger than the Coade one, due to shrinkage of the clay in the Coade preparation of Bacons casting process. To account for this a delicate adjustment of the master casts had to be made .from the bronze and, to give the cast items an authentic Coade appearance in keeping with the rest of the piece, a ceme111-based mixture of various sands was used. Thefigure wasfirst steam cleaned to remove over 200 years of disfiguri11g carbon deposits but not the pleasing patina of age. Restoration work involved the removal of rusting iron cramps and their replacement with stainless steel, as well as the removal of some earlier and unsympathetic in-situ restoration work. The original plinth of the statue was restored and a new foundation far it was prepared at its relocated site in Terrace Gardens. Instead of being tucked away just off a pathway in the gardens - a position it had occupied since 1902 - the statue now commands a central position on a hillock in from of an imposing hedgerow in the park. Relocating it presented a considerable logistical problem far Taylor Pearce and fine art handling specialist Momart, who was responsiblefar transporting the statue in specially designed air suspension trucks. The problem of getting a one ton statue onto a base at the top of a hillock which is surrounded by, and consistsof so.ftsoil is considerable. The problem was resolved by taking the statue off the truck outside the park and transporting it on a trolley over scaffold boards laid like tram lines to the one spot of level ground around the area - which was behind the hedge at the top of the hillock. From there it was winched over the hedge onto its plinth. A time capsule was enclosedin the base incorporating an account of the project and the names of the donors. In view of its importance the statue has also been ringed by a security system. SIGHT LINE Overheard recently on site. Conservation Officer perplexed by some unauthorised joinery: "What timber did you use'" Builder: "You said you wanted oak. I've stained it light oak - it says so on the tin". Overheard recently at a County Conservation Forum about the draft PPG: "This de-designation of conservation areas - I've not worked out how to designate any yet!" CONTEXT 40 THEATRES AT RISK The Theatres Trust has produced a most useful 7-page Advice Note (no 3) designed to help people who are in the early stages of organising themselves to protect theatres. Copies are available free from the Trust at 22 Charing Cross Road, London WC2H OHR. Tel: 071-836 8591. John Earl, the Trust's Director, would appreciate feedback on the document from Conservation Officers. DESIGN, RESTORATION&RESOURCECONSULTANTS HISTORICPARKS, GARDENS&LANDSCAPES For all sites of historic value or potential, we specialise in scholarly field and archive research, practical management planning and imaginative design and restoration. DAWSON TAYLOR LANDSCAPE Principal: Hilary A Taylor B.A.Hons., Ph.D. 4 Tattershall Drive, The Park, Nottingham NG7 lBX Tel: 0602 475277 Fax: 0602 475598 """'"""" J ~'ORNAMEN LEADWO of Hopper Head at the Royal Naval College Greenwich • Hoppers, Downpipes, Collars and Ears, Bends, Rainwater Shoes. • Replication service offered • Standard products available e B55750 (Part 2) registered BritishLead Mills Special Products Dormay Street, Wandsworth, London SW18 lJD Tel: 081-870 1461 Fax: 081-877 9876 7
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