The Royal Landscape - The Ruins
The Project
The Leptis Magna Ruins is a garden folly monument created in 1826 in the Royal Landscape of Windsor Great Park, for George IV by Architect Sir Jeffrey Wyatville. It was the final key component in a wider landscape in the picturesque style of the period. The monument is Grade II listed.
The recent project was to repair and restore the folly, which had undergone a long period of decay and casual vandalism. The Ruins had been closed to the public for many years and Crown Estate wished to make safe and re-open the monument.
Most significantly, two of the three largest columns which formed a 'portico' grouping in the southeast range had been taken down. This was carried out on the instruction of Queen Victoria in 1897 because of concern about the stability of the structure.
One further column fell in the 1950s and several sections of entablature were displaced. Other columns had been toppled by vandals and visitors.
There were several areas of collapse to the enclosing side walls that are caused mostly by unchecked ivy and plant growth.
Iron clamps used in the original construction had rusted causing damage to the masonry and the collapse of at least one arch in the northwest sector.
A number of important fragments such as inscribed stones and particularly a Roman carved head were buried beneath the ground, obscured by the growth of the turf. These were intended to be part of the setting of the temple ruin. Several other items of statuary and inscribed stones had been removed for safekeeping or display.
There had also been serious deterioration in the condition of the Portland stone masonry of the column bases and supporting walls due to weathering, loss of mortar and damage by plant roots.
History
The columns and stones used to create the folly were transported to Windsor in 1817 from the Roman city site of Leptis Magna in Libya, and are from several different buildings; reportedly "the principal basilica, a peristyleum, an arcade and several minor places". The Ruin is not a reconstruction of a Leptis Magna temple.
The pieces comprised 22 granite columns, 15 marble columns, 10 capitals, 25 pedestals, seven loose slabs, 10 pieces of cornice, five inscribed slabs and various fragments of figure sculpture. Some pieces, columns specifically, had been taken by the Romans from older Egyptian and Greek temples; one of the columns in the three-column portico is from Luxor.
In order to complete the monument, Wyatville used stone taken from the recently demolished Carlton House to construct walls and the fake arcades. There were not enough capitals for all the columns and so new ones were roughly carved in imitation of the Roman capitals from Carlton house stones.
Statues from the gardens of Carlton House were also taken to embellish at the Ruins and some fine pieces acquired by Frederick Prince of Wales were added later but because these were 'shamefully abused and mutilated' by visitors; most were removed.
The Repair
There are no plans and few contemporary descriptions recording Wyatville's design of the Ruins, so there is some uncertainty about what changes have taken place to its original and intended appearance. We did have a number of early photographs and artists' impressions, mostly 19th century, and so were aware of certain deliberate alterations, accidental changes and damage.
Once the principle of repair had been decided on, the agreed approach that was one of compromise between minimum repair, enough to conserve the monument in damaged condition and to prevent further deterioration, and full reinstatement, including reproduction of all missing statuary and building elements, to attempt to recreate the monument as envisaged by Wyatville.
The ground level, which had been raised over the years due to leaf fall and plant growth, was reduced to its original level, revealing the low walls and steps.
The collapsed plinth walls and enclosing walls have been rebuilt where it was clear that the damage was accidental and not part of the original scheme.
All the columns that were known to have fallen, rather than deliberately placed on the ground, were re-erected. They were additionally secured using concealed fixing methods because of the risk of further vandalism. Some had broken when they fell and had to be pinned back together.
Broken lintel stones were re-fixed using concealed stainless steel plates. The three-column portico and its highly ornate entablature was re-erected.
The mature trees that over the years that had encroached and were obscuring the monument were cut back to recreate an earlier setting.
All of the stone and brick that was used in the reconstruction was found on the site, and all the building methods used were traditional ones, that would have been used in the early 19th century.
In 2009 the project has been shortlisted for a Georgian Group award for heritage conservation.
Sector: Landscape
Location: Windsor, UK
Proj/Arch: Barry Stow
Job/Arch: Barry Stow
Status: Live
Year: 2008
The Leptis Magna Ruins is a garden folly monument created in 1826 in the Royal Landscape of Windsor Great Park, for George IV by Architect Sir Jeffrey Wyatville. It was the final key component in a wider landscape in the picturesque style of the period. The monument is Grade II listed.
The recent project was to repair and restore the folly, which had undergone a long period of decay and casual vandalism. The Ruins had been closed to the public for many years and Crown Estate wished to make safe and re-open the monument.
Most significantly, two of the three largest columns which formed a 'portico' grouping in the southeast range had been taken down. This was carried out on the instruction of Queen Victoria in 1897 because of concern about the stability of the structure.
One further column fell in the 1950s and several sections of entablature were displaced. Other columns had been toppled by vandals and visitors.
There were several areas of collapse to the enclosing side walls that are caused mostly by unchecked ivy and plant growth.
Iron clamps used in the original construction had rusted causing damage to the masonry and the collapse of at least one arch in the northwest sector.
A number of important fragments such as inscribed stones and particularly a Roman carved head were buried beneath the ground, obscured by the growth of the turf. These were intended to be part of the setting of the temple ruin. Several other items of statuary and inscribed stones had been removed for safekeeping or display.
There had also been serious deterioration in the condition of the Portland stone masonry of the column bases and supporting walls due to weathering, loss of mortar and damage by plant roots.
History
The columns and stones used to create the folly were transported to Windsor in 1817 from the Roman city site of Leptis Magna in Libya, and are from several different buildings; reportedly "the principal basilica, a peristyleum, an arcade and several minor places". The Ruin is not a reconstruction of a Leptis Magna temple.
The pieces comprised 22 granite columns, 15 marble columns, 10 capitals, 25 pedestals, seven loose slabs, 10 pieces of cornice, five inscribed slabs and various fragments of figure sculpture. Some pieces, columns specifically, had been taken by the Romans from older Egyptian and Greek temples; one of the columns in the three-column portico is from Luxor.
In order to complete the monument, Wyatville used stone taken from the recently demolished Carlton House to construct walls and the fake arcades. There were not enough capitals for all the columns and so new ones were roughly carved in imitation of the Roman capitals from Carlton house stones.
Statues from the gardens of Carlton House were also taken to embellish at the Ruins and some fine pieces acquired by Frederick Prince of Wales were added later but because these were 'shamefully abused and mutilated' by visitors; most were removed.
The Repair
There are no plans and few contemporary descriptions recording Wyatville's design of the Ruins, so there is some uncertainty about what changes have taken place to its original and intended appearance. We did have a number of early photographs and artists' impressions, mostly 19th century, and so were aware of certain deliberate alterations, accidental changes and damage.
Once the principle of repair had been decided on, the agreed approach that was one of compromise between minimum repair, enough to conserve the monument in damaged condition and to prevent further deterioration, and full reinstatement, including reproduction of all missing statuary and building elements, to attempt to recreate the monument as envisaged by Wyatville.
The ground level, which had been raised over the years due to leaf fall and plant growth, was reduced to its original level, revealing the low walls and steps.
The collapsed plinth walls and enclosing walls have been rebuilt where it was clear that the damage was accidental and not part of the original scheme.
All the columns that were known to have fallen, rather than deliberately placed on the ground, were re-erected. They were additionally secured using concealed fixing methods because of the risk of further vandalism. Some had broken when they fell and had to be pinned back together.
Broken lintel stones were re-fixed using concealed stainless steel plates. The three-column portico and its highly ornate entablature was re-erected.
The mature trees that over the years that had encroached and were obscuring the monument were cut back to recreate an earlier setting.
All of the stone and brick that was used in the reconstruction was found on the site, and all the building methods used were traditional ones, that would have been used in the early 19th century.
In 2009 the project has been shortlisted for a Georgian Group award for heritage conservation.
Sector: Landscape
Location: Windsor, UK
Proj/Arch: Barry Stow
Job/Arch: Barry Stow
Status: Live
Year: 2008
