Exhibition to re-create old park mansion

Visitors to Clumber Park are being invited to discover the park’s history in a brand new temporary exhibition called ‘The Imagined Mansion’.

Visitors can explore the lost rooms of Clumber House, where they can rest in the grand drawing and dining rooms, read in the library, and the other luxurious apartments that have been recreated.

Jen Wicks, visitor services supervisor at Clumber Park said: “We know that our visitors are keen to discover more about the History of Clumber Park and particularly the missing mansion. This is a creative project which brings the park’s history to life. With the hard work, dedication and the expertise from the team, we have carefully designed an engaging exhibition.”

Clumber House once boasted a three flight marble staircase and a grand entrance hall with classical arches, a marble mosaic floor and iconic famous sculptures including one of Napoleon Thetis plunging Achilles into the river. The walls were adorned with paintings by Van Dyke, Rembrandt and Holbein.

The House was constructed using only the finest materials from across the globe and furnished with extravagant sculptures and lavish ornaments from countries worldwide including urns from Pompeii and tables made from marble slabs inlaid with precious Indian stones from the King’s Palace in Bermuda. It also contained a First Folio of Shakespeare’s works.

The house underwent several changes, either to accommodate fashions of its time or fires in 1879 and 1912. It was eventually demolished in 1938.

The Imagined Mansion exhibition will be open every day from April 29 to June 26 and admission is free.