The heritage preservation charity dropped a competition-winning Allies and Morrison proposal to rebuild and restore Clandon Park following a major U-turn in 2022, opting instead for a pared-back approach which would preserve its fire-damaged shell.At the time, a spokesperson said the trust had moved away from the original designs through a process of detailed feasibility with our design team. Allies and Morrison continues to lead on the design with conservation design support from Purcell.But submission of a planning application for the new design in November has incensed traditionalists, with architect Francis Terry accusing the National Trust of an act of barbarism against the Grade I-listed building, which is near Guildford in Surrey.AdvertisementTerry said the scheme would leave Clandons interior as a fire-damaged ruin with walkways, a lift shaft and a myriad of unsympathetic Modernist additions.In a statement, Terry added: This is an act of barbarism. This house should be restored to what it was, including the famous plasterwork, on which Clandons reputation as a great Georgian house rests. Source:NH53 (creative commons)The burnt-out shell of Clandon Park House, Surrey, after an accidental fire in 2015Following a devastating fire at Clandon in 2015, then-National Trust director Helen Ghosh said the 18th-century stately home had been reduced to essentially a shell.The Clandon redesign saga has wormed its way to the forefront of a major dispute within the National Trust in recent months, after activists within the organisation accused it of a tragic dereliction of duty by refusing to restore the mansion.The protestors known as the Restore Trust argue that the National Trust is failing to preserve its historic buildings in favour of modish, divisive ideologies.AdvertisementIn a design and access (D&A) statement, Allies and Morrison says its latest proposal, which include events space and walkways allowing views of Clandons scorched interiors, celebrates the beauty of the building that survived. Source:Allies and Morrison (taken from planning documents)Allies and Morrisons latest plans (Nov 2024) for Clandon Park House in Surrey walkways for displays and viewingThe National Trust insists the sensitive contemporary design of the light-touch proposals will bring Clandon Park back to life as a welcoming, engaging and fully functional house' and create an exciting new chapter in [the buildings] history.A spokesperson said the designs reflect in-depth conversations with heritage bodies, architectural specialists, community organisations and more than 75,000 visitors t0 Clandon since the fire. It added that public feedback had been overwhelmingly positive.The trust added: Our vision is for a house that showcases the importance and beauty of what survived the fire and celebrates the stories of the many people who made and crafted it over centuries.But Terry insists the faithful rebuilding of the mansion would give employment to traditional tradespeople and save the building from being lost, perhaps forever.The Classical architect dismissed as 'exaggerated fears that a full restoration of Clandon would lack the original build quality. Source:Jim Linwood creative commonsClandon Park House, Surrey, before the 2015 fire which badly damaged itIn its D&A, Allies and Morrison has said its pared-back proposal celebrates the beauty of the building that survived, displaying the visually dramatic and historically intriguing fire-damaged interiors while allowing visitors to learn the story of how it was designed, built and crafted over the centuries.The proposed scheme would renew the house as a fully functioning building, it said, with a new roof, windows, heating and structural repairs to conserve the surviving house, including its Speakers Parlour. Furniture and artworks would be returned to the house to form new displays.Interior walkways and a new public roof terrace will enable new ways of seeing and encountering the house that actively reveal its historic and architectural significance and enhance its visual drama, the practice added.Allies and Morrison was appointed in 2017 to lead the rebuild, following a star-studded contest run by Malcolm Reading Consultants. The top five AJ100 practice selected specialist Purcell to offer conservation design support.The first phase of construction works, repairing exterior walls and stonework, is expected to cost up to 20 million.Clandon Park was built in the 1720s by Venetian architect Giacomo Leoni and left to the National Trust in 1956.