Following a careful restoration completed in 2023, Grade II*-listed Alexander Pope’s Grotto has been removed from Historic England’s Heritage at Risk Register and is now open to community use.
- Sector
- Culture
- Tags
- Grade II*
- Service
- Conservation architecture
The folly is a mine of stones, shells, minerals and metals devised by the Enlightenment Era poet and satirist Alexander Pope. It was built around 1725 to connect Pope’s garden to the new villa he built in 1720 (demolished in 1808) and as an expression of his imagination. It is considered one of the most significant buildings of the English Landscape Garden Movement.
Works to save the Grotto began over 20 years ago, with the first Conservation Management Plan (CMP) produced by Insall in 2002, to guide the long-term conservation of the site. The Pope’s Grotto Preservation Trust was established in 2004, helping to funding for the project. A pilot project was carried out successfully in 2017, leading to full conservation works completing in 2023.
Illuminating history
The challenge was to overcome centuries of deterioration and inappropriate repairs. Works consisted of consolidating and stabilising the rendering that holds together precious and semi-precious stones to the brick substrate as well as the gentle cleaning of stone surfaces. Removing cementitious materials helped to uncover a variety of historic features, such as a an historic brick floor, a brick arch in the central chamber, a lead pipe indicating a water route and corbels hidden under modern pebble dash.
Interpretation was a key aspect of the project. Visitors can now enjoy atmospheric lighting, which was achieved with achieved with LED candle fittings with Georgian silver backing that reflects the light in an ambient manner. It aims to mimic how the grotto might have been illuminated in the 18th century – and how Pope himself might have seen it.
By carrying out the conservation and restoration of Pope’s Grotto we hoped to re-establish the poet’s ‘sparkling’ vision. It was important to us and the Pope’s Grotto Preservation Trust that the proposed works were informed by and incorporated the Grotto’s rich history, which has been partially preserved through Pope’s surviving letters, sketches by William Kent and through physical fabric on site . . . Pope designed the Grotto with a view through to the Thames and a network of mirrors and minerals to the Grotto chambers. Through the project, we have learnt a lot about Pope, not just as a famous poet, but as a person and about his vision.
Project Team
| Architect and Lead Consultant | Donald Insall Associates |
| Conservation Consultant | Odgers Conservation Consultants |
| Conservation Works | Taylor Pearce Ltd |
| Lobby Works | Malcom Charles Conservation |
| Lighting Designer | DHA Designs |
| Project Manager | Victoria Northwood |
| Archaeologist | Thames Valley Archaeology |
| Quantity Surveyor | D.R. Nolans & Co. |
| Electrical Contractor | SI Electrical Ltd |
| Audio Visual & Multimedia Specialist | D J Willrich Ltd |
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