28 CONTEXT 182 : DECEMBER 2024 The new furnace display on the site of the original furnace (Photo: The Abbotsford Trust) Abbotsford Pavilion’s listening bench (Photo: The Abbotsford Trust) Esmé Coppock is heritage consultant for Simpson and Brown with Addyman Archaeology. replacement was necessary as part of the works using Douglas fir, identified by TRADA analysis. What little remained of the roof glazing was not original and was replaced. The window openings, however, contained significant amounts of original glass, installed as small overlapping panes in the sash-and-case windows. This unusual vernacular building feature contributes significantly to its character. The small panes are contained in closely spaced vertical astragals with no horizontal members in each sash. Although large areas had been replaced over the years, Addyman Archaeology was able to identify the extent of the surviving early glazing, made recognisable by imperfections in the glass and a slightly green-blue hue in certain overcast lighting conditions. The glazing was removed, cleaned and reinstalled. Specialist conservators were engaged to stabilise spalling stone on the facade. This did not affect its structural integrity, the Pavilion being a timber structure sitting behind a stone screen. In-house historic paint analysis was carried out to gather evidence of the original paint colour. Suggestions had been made that a heraldic scheme might have been present but this was not found to be the case. Off-white was determined to be on the windows, walls and other detailing. The garden walls, which had structural defects due to insufficient ties, required significant rebuilding, for which mortar analysis informed the repointing specification. The restored Pavilion now forms part of the wider visitor experience at Abbotsford, along with the subterranean Furnace House, previously closed to the public. The structures reveal Scott’s interest in hothouse technologies and his garden, contributing to the presentation of a more holistic view of his life on the estate. In the Furnace House, visitors can experience an immersive soundscape. A series of spotlights accompanies the audio to illuminate features, helping visitors understand how the Pavilion’s heating system worked. The Pavilion also contains ‘Sir Walter Scott’s Botanical Cabinet’, which holds an interactive handling collection of objects illustrating how the garden contributed to life at Abbotsford. At the Pavilion’s ‘Listening Bench’, visitors can hear extracts from Scott’s journal, revealing a man who tends to his plants for the benefit of future generations and loses patience with his body as it misbehaves in old age.
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