It has taken ten years and will have cost £3.74million when it is finished, but the campaign to restore the fragile Victorian conservatory at Wentworth Castle is entering its final phase.
The first parts of the conservatory’s iron frame are due to return to the site next week after spending the past seven months undergoing detailed restoration at Shepley Engineers in Shafton.
The frame consists of 4,000 parts which have had to be carefully dismantled, labelled, cleaned and recast where necessary.
An incredible 35 layers of paint have been removed to reveal intricate detail which has been hand-painted in a creamy white, thought to match the original colour.
While centuries of paint were being stripped to reveal the delicate design details, groundwork was carried out at Wentworth Castle in preparation for landscaping, service connections and new terracing.
The restored Grade II listed conservatory will open to the public in autumn and will even be available as a wedding venue.
© 2013 Barnsley Chronicle Ltd