0:00:02 > 0:00:04In an idyllic Sussex landscape,
0:00:04 > 0:00:06created by master gardener Capability Brown,
0:00:06 > 0:00:12sits one of Britain's finest stately homes - Petworth House.
0:00:13 > 0:00:18Thanks to the National Trust, it's now open to us all,
0:00:18 > 0:00:21except during winter when, like all the Trust's homes,
0:00:21 > 0:00:24Petworth shuts the public out.
0:00:25 > 0:00:29When the house is closed, however, it's far from quiet.
0:00:32 > 0:00:36Normally, nobody gets to see what happens here in the winter months.
0:00:36 > 0:00:39But this year, I've been given unique, privileged access
0:00:39 > 0:00:41to see what really goes on behind the scenes.
0:00:41 > 0:00:43When the public has gone,
0:00:43 > 0:00:48the National Trust's expert conservation teams get the chance
0:00:48 > 0:00:51to do some housekeeping on an epic scale.
0:00:51 > 0:00:54We see things up close that people don't see.
0:00:54 > 0:00:56It's amazing - who else gets to do it?
0:00:57 > 0:00:59I had no idea, until I took on this task,
0:00:59 > 0:01:02quite how filthy the visitors were.
0:01:04 > 0:01:08'And this winter, Petworth's got a new cleaner.'
0:01:08 > 0:01:11- I've made a difference. - Have you waxed it?- No.- No.
0:01:11 > 0:01:15'It's a rare chance to get hands on with history...'
0:01:15 > 0:01:17Ooh! It's heavy.
0:01:17 > 0:01:21'..and glimpse the secret life of a great country house.
0:01:22 > 0:01:27'On this visit, I'll discover how Petworth became a private palace,
0:01:27 > 0:01:31'why baroque cherubs have to go undercover
0:01:31 > 0:01:35'and how to conserve 700 acres of horticultural heritage.
0:01:37 > 0:01:41'I'm joining perhaps the biggest spring clean in the world,
0:01:41 > 0:01:45'which all takes place during the freezing months of winter.'
0:01:58 > 0:02:00It's mid-November.
0:02:00 > 0:02:03Petworth House may now be closed to the public
0:02:03 > 0:02:06but the real work of the winter is about to begin -
0:02:06 > 0:02:08somewhere highly appropriate.
0:02:08 > 0:02:11From the late 17th century,
0:02:11 > 0:02:14the Marble Hall was the first room visitors entered.
0:02:14 > 0:02:17Now it's the first place where I'll be working,
0:02:17 > 0:02:21under instruction from house steward, Sue Rhodes.
0:02:25 > 0:02:27So what are we going to do today?
0:02:27 > 0:02:29Today's the start of the room-by-room clean.
0:02:29 > 0:02:32I thought we would do it by categories, so do sculpture next.
0:02:32 > 0:02:36No, most of it's pretty big and immoveable and it makes more sense
0:02:36 > 0:02:39to clean a room, shut it down and move on to the next one
0:02:39 > 0:02:41so there's not people coming back and forth.
0:02:41 > 0:02:46So it's like a military campaign - you secure an area and then move on.
0:02:46 > 0:02:48We'll start at the top, work our way to the bottom
0:02:48 > 0:02:51and condition check and clean everything.
0:02:55 > 0:02:59Petworth's high ceilings mean the six-strong conservation team
0:02:59 > 0:03:01have to double as builders.
0:03:01 > 0:03:05I doubt people would think you'd have to know how to put scaffolding up.
0:03:11 > 0:03:12I like the hat.
0:03:14 > 0:03:15Was that a dare?
0:03:16 > 0:03:19'Because the team must check and clean
0:03:19 > 0:03:21'every last inch of Petworth House,
0:03:21 > 0:03:26'over the next 18 weeks they'll be building two scaff towers
0:03:26 > 0:03:31'up to a height of 25 feet in each of eight different state rooms.'
0:03:34 > 0:03:35Go, Tom.
0:03:35 > 0:03:38But every journey must begin with a single step.
0:03:41 > 0:03:42So these are our hoovers.
0:03:42 > 0:03:45You can pass them up to me, up the scaffold.
0:03:45 > 0:03:47Why have we got hoovers?
0:03:47 > 0:03:50I thought we would have Ken Dodd-style feather dusters.
0:03:50 > 0:03:53We use hoovers cos it will remove the dirt
0:03:53 > 0:03:55whereas a feather duster will just disperse it.
0:03:57 > 0:03:59- You got it?- Yep, got that.
0:04:06 > 0:04:09I feel as safe as houses.
0:04:09 > 0:04:12It feels a bit wobbly but it is perfectly safe.
0:04:12 > 0:04:13So we are going to condition report.
0:04:13 > 0:04:16Make sure everything's here that's supposed to be.
0:04:16 > 0:04:19What about this, is that worth noting?
0:04:19 > 0:04:22- This is on here, "Chip off crown on figure in centre".- OK, yep.
0:04:22 > 0:04:25There's a tiny bit of... would you say that's damage?
0:04:25 > 0:04:27That is a tiny bit of damage.
0:04:27 > 0:04:30These aren't recorded on the condition report so we will record that.
0:04:30 > 0:04:33I don't think it's new but it hasn't been recorded.
0:04:33 > 0:04:36- Do you have the brushes? - I've got the brushes.
0:04:36 > 0:04:38These are hogs-hair brushes,
0:04:38 > 0:04:41which we use for slightly more robust objects such as painted wood.
0:04:41 > 0:04:45They're stiffer and lift the dust off much easier
0:04:45 > 0:04:47than some of the softer brushes.
0:04:47 > 0:04:49And then switch it on.
0:04:49 > 0:04:53So you start in one area and flick it into the nozzle.
0:04:53 > 0:04:57With something like the unicorn's horn, which is quite loose,
0:04:57 > 0:05:00we want to be incredibly careful.
0:05:00 > 0:05:03- There's a lot of dust on that unicorn's horn.- There is.
0:05:03 > 0:05:08'Any dirt on the unicorn originates from less mythical beasts - us.
0:05:09 > 0:05:12'Flakes of visitors' skin and clothing fibres
0:05:12 > 0:05:14'are carried this high by air convection.'
0:05:14 > 0:05:17- Right, did you want to have a go? - Yeah, absolutely.
0:05:21 > 0:05:24OK, so where had you got up to?
0:05:24 > 0:05:27I've done the head and to this shoulder here.
0:05:27 > 0:05:30You've left me the unicorn's bum.
0:05:31 > 0:05:34- I don't know. - Be careful of the horn.- Oh!
0:05:34 > 0:05:40So, gently stroking into the hoover head and removing the dust.
0:05:40 > 0:05:43Do feel free to shout at me.
0:05:43 > 0:05:48You've definitely got the technique. I'll leave you to it, you're doing a great job.
0:05:50 > 0:05:55The rest of the team have also started on their gargantuan task.
0:05:56 > 0:06:01Anna's on the first of the winter's 282 paintings...
0:06:03 > 0:06:07..while Judy's got under way on one of Petworth's 116 sculptures.
0:06:10 > 0:06:14Once cleaned, objects need to be kept free from damaging dust
0:06:14 > 0:06:16until the house reopens in March.
0:06:16 > 0:06:20So each statue has its own tailor-made winter outfit.
0:06:27 > 0:06:30'The sculpture I'm cleaning may look like stone
0:06:30 > 0:06:34'but this beast is in fact painted wood.'
0:06:34 > 0:06:36When you get up close to it, you can see
0:06:36 > 0:06:39what a wonderful piece of work it is.
0:06:39 > 0:06:41It's created by a man called John Selden
0:06:41 > 0:06:44who spent 25 years as a woodcarver to Petworth House.
0:06:44 > 0:06:48He's not very well known but deserves to be because - so the story goes -
0:06:48 > 0:06:50he literally gave his life
0:06:50 > 0:06:53in the service of the house and its woodcarvings.
0:06:53 > 0:06:58In 1714, a fire broke out which ravaged Petworth.
0:06:58 > 0:07:00Tradition has it that Selden died
0:07:00 > 0:07:04trying to save his life's work from the flames.
0:07:06 > 0:07:11The coat of arms I've been cleaning belonged to the 6th Duke of Somerset.
0:07:11 > 0:07:16The Marble Hall reflects his taste and character.
0:07:16 > 0:07:19as does much of the Petworth people visit today.
0:07:21 > 0:07:25Although there had been a manor house here since medieval times,
0:07:25 > 0:07:30from the 1680s onwards, the 6th Duke almost completely rebuilt it,
0:07:30 > 0:07:32on a much grander scale.
0:07:32 > 0:07:39It's one of many reasons he was usually called the Proud Duke.
0:07:39 > 0:07:43The English aristocracy weren't exactly known for their humility,
0:07:43 > 0:07:46so to earn yourself the nickname the Proud Duke
0:07:46 > 0:07:48you really did have to be pretty proud.
0:07:48 > 0:07:54There are many stories about his immense arrogance and self-regard.
0:07:54 > 0:07:58He is said to have ordered all the paths on the estate
0:07:58 > 0:08:01to be cleared when he travelled along them in his coach
0:08:01 > 0:08:04because he did not want to be exposed to the gaze of the vulgar.
0:08:04 > 0:08:10The story goes that on one occasion a swineherd refused to be moved along,
0:08:10 > 0:08:14and said, "I will look at him and my pigs will look at him too."
0:08:14 > 0:08:17History doesn't relate what happened to that swineherd
0:08:17 > 0:08:21but I think, given the Proud Duke's record, it probably wasn't good.
0:08:23 > 0:08:27Prominent at court and with distant royal blood,
0:08:27 > 0:08:31the Proud Duke was determined his home should reflect his rank.
0:08:31 > 0:08:34So this space was intended to be much more than a lobby.
0:08:34 > 0:08:38His records refer to it as the "Hall of State".
0:08:40 > 0:08:44A large part of the grandeur is underfoot.
0:08:45 > 0:08:49However, the conservation team have noticed an increasing number
0:08:49 > 0:08:52of dents, scratches and holes.
0:08:52 > 0:08:56So they've called for the advice of the National Trust's stone consultant -
0:08:56 > 0:09:00the aptly-named Trevor Proudfoot.
0:09:00 > 0:09:02So you're concerned about the floor.
0:09:02 > 0:09:04We'd like you to have a look at the surface
0:09:04 > 0:09:06or, generally, the whole floor.
0:09:06 > 0:09:09There is a hole here in the corner.
0:09:09 > 0:09:10Oh, a big hole.
0:09:12 > 0:09:14- That's not good.- That's not good, no.
0:09:14 > 0:09:19Apart from that, the surface is really getting badly scratched.
0:09:19 > 0:09:22- Is this the high-heeled-shoe brigade? - No.
0:09:22 > 0:09:24- We don't allow high heels. - Oh, you don't.
0:09:24 > 0:09:28They have to wear foam slippers when they come in in high-heeled shoes.
0:09:28 > 0:09:30- Oh, really. Please note! - That's a warning.
0:09:30 > 0:09:33We've got some tiles here, this one's dropped.
0:09:33 > 0:09:35And you can see another there.
0:09:35 > 0:09:39- Which is pinching, so that's a sign of movement.- What's pinching?
0:09:39 > 0:09:43Well, you can see where you would expect to find pointing
0:09:43 > 0:09:47or plaster between the stones and that's been lost.
0:09:47 > 0:09:50And also there seems to be a general movement
0:09:50 > 0:09:53which has now caused the stones to push up against each other.
0:09:53 > 0:09:57At the moment, we're hoovering it on a daily basis when we're open
0:09:57 > 0:10:00and washing it only when it's necessary during the open season.
0:10:00 > 0:10:03- Do you hoover it in order to reduce scratching?- Yes.
0:10:03 > 0:10:06So no waxing, no polishing, nothing?
0:10:06 > 0:10:09Only if it's necessary, we use damp cloths.
0:10:09 > 0:10:12That should be enough because it's Kilkenny
0:10:12 > 0:10:14or it's Belgian black marble -
0:10:14 > 0:10:17but the white is generally Italian carrara - and as we know,
0:10:17 > 0:10:21on it's own, marble is fairly resilient to wear and tear.
0:10:24 > 0:10:28To calculate just how quickly the floor is deteriorating,
0:10:28 > 0:10:31conservation assistant Jacky Brown has come up with a plan -
0:10:31 > 0:10:36trace every tiny mark and chip that currently exists.
0:10:36 > 0:10:38Basically, you're making a map of the floor.
0:10:38 > 0:10:41A year later, they'll repeat the whole exercise
0:10:41 > 0:10:44and so will be able to count up every single mark
0:10:44 > 0:10:48to have appeared during the intervening period.
0:10:48 > 0:10:54- A sort of damage diary? - Yes, but we've then got the history of that floor over a period of time.
0:10:54 > 0:10:57What kind of use can you make of that information?
0:10:57 > 0:11:00That'll give us the trends of what's happening.
0:11:00 > 0:11:04We'll be able to see areas where tiles are coming loose.
0:11:04 > 0:11:08Hopefully, there will be some story there which we can understand.
0:11:08 > 0:11:12I imagine it's one of the things people don't notice as much.
0:11:12 > 0:11:14They don't. They walk across it.
0:11:14 > 0:11:17They walk across it. It's what they put their feet on.
0:11:17 > 0:11:22They're looking at the sculptures and the paintings but not thinking
0:11:22 > 0:11:25- that the floor is itself a great work of art.- Exactly.
0:11:34 > 0:11:39After three days, the Marble Hall is done and dusted for the winter,
0:11:39 > 0:11:42with just one last Roman to be tucked into his togs.
0:11:48 > 0:11:51The room's ghostly inhabitants will now be left to rest in peace
0:11:51 > 0:11:54for the next four months.
0:12:00 > 0:12:02Next, on my housekeeping tour of duty,
0:12:02 > 0:12:04is a still more imposing part of Petworth.
0:12:04 > 0:12:07The tragic blaze of 1714
0:12:07 > 0:12:12cleared the way for the Proud Duke's most extravagant creation -
0:12:12 > 0:12:14the Grand Staircase.
0:12:14 > 0:12:17So what style did the Proud Duke choose
0:12:17 > 0:12:21when he came to redecorate after the great fire?
0:12:21 > 0:12:24Well, predictably enough, he chose the art of the baroque,
0:12:24 > 0:12:28the art of power, the art of the gobsmackingly grandiose.
0:12:28 > 0:12:31I think what he wanted was a centrepiece
0:12:31 > 0:12:34to stun and amaze every visitor and he certainly got it.
0:12:34 > 0:12:38Being in here you feel as if you've been plunged
0:12:38 > 0:12:41into a spaghetti bolognese of allegory.
0:12:43 > 0:12:46One wall even includes the Proud Duke's missus,
0:12:46 > 0:12:50Elizabeth Percy, chasing evil from the world.
0:12:50 > 0:12:52Well, everyone needs a hobby(!)
0:12:54 > 0:12:57As visitors gaze at these arresting images,
0:12:57 > 0:13:01they steady themselves by gripping the oak banisters.
0:13:01 > 0:13:05Tens of thousands of mucky mitts create a housekeeping chore
0:13:05 > 0:13:08that's not for the squeamish.
0:13:08 > 0:13:12All these black lines you see here are actually dirt marks.
0:13:12 > 0:13:17This isn't in the grain of wood, it's on the surface of the banister.
0:13:17 > 0:13:20If I very gently just scratch...
0:13:20 > 0:13:26that is actually a mixture of old wax, dirt and people's sweaty palms.
0:13:26 > 0:13:31To get this lot off, the conservationist's usual mix of water
0:13:31 > 0:13:33and gentle detergent won't be strong enough.
0:13:33 > 0:13:38It's time for some paraffin-based solvent.
0:13:38 > 0:13:42Using the cotton wool with the white spirit, rub it.
0:13:42 > 0:13:45You can see how much dirt I'm getting off.
0:13:45 > 0:13:47And then, using this cloth, rubbing it off.
0:13:47 > 0:13:51And in actual fact you can see a difference straight away.
0:13:51 > 0:13:52There you go.
0:13:54 > 0:13:57The white spirit is taken off so quickly,
0:13:57 > 0:13:59there's no danger of it damaging the wood.
0:13:59 > 0:14:02Which is a good thing, since this balustrade
0:14:02 > 0:14:06was designed in 1827 by no less a man than Charles Barry,
0:14:06 > 0:14:10who went on to build the Houses of Parliament.
0:14:10 > 0:14:12I had no idea until I took on this task
0:14:12 > 0:14:16quite how filthy the visitors were.
0:14:16 > 0:14:19This is why we don't want people to touch objects in the house.
0:14:21 > 0:14:26After a few hours, any last trace of white spirit has evaporated,
0:14:26 > 0:14:28so conservation assistant Anna Ward
0:14:28 > 0:14:31starts working down the banisters all over again,
0:14:31 > 0:14:34this time rubbing in natural beeswax.
0:14:34 > 0:14:37Wood is still like a living thing
0:14:37 > 0:14:40and the white spirit has left it very dry
0:14:40 > 0:14:43and we don't want it to dry out cos it'll crack
0:14:43 > 0:14:46and the surface will be quite rough.
0:14:46 > 0:14:50So we feed it with this wax which soaks in to the wood
0:14:50 > 0:14:54and the colours are different just because it's been moisturised.
0:14:54 > 0:15:00And then we're going to buff it off with a some of this cotton cloth
0:15:00 > 0:15:03and that should give it a nice...
0:15:04 > 0:15:05..shine.
0:15:05 > 0:15:07Cleaning the banisters
0:15:07 > 0:15:10is probably the most satisfying job I've done this winter
0:15:10 > 0:15:14which sounds rather sad, cos I don't think anyone will notice except me.
0:15:19 > 0:15:21The grandness of the Proud Duke's vision
0:15:21 > 0:15:26has bequeathed 42 brass stair rods. Which all need polishing.
0:15:26 > 0:15:29So the conservation team have enlisted some extra help
0:15:29 > 0:15:34from amongst the vast army of National Trust volunteers.
0:15:34 > 0:15:38When the house is open, they're the main people who guide the public.
0:15:38 > 0:15:43I think you'll find a lot of them are stained, damaged and so on.
0:15:43 > 0:15:47Some of us avoid housework like the plague
0:15:47 > 0:15:50but these people are actually are giving up their free time
0:15:50 > 0:15:52to do someone else's.
0:15:52 > 0:15:57If you have visitors to your own home you do a spick-and-span job.
0:15:57 > 0:15:59It's the same - this is the way to look at it.
0:15:59 > 0:16:02We're just cleaning up the house for our visitors.
0:16:02 > 0:16:04It's very important work,
0:16:04 > 0:16:08an awful lot to be done so all hands to the pump.
0:16:10 > 0:16:14It starts off something like... if you compare the two...
0:16:14 > 0:16:18- See, that's absolutely filthy. - This has gone the whole season.
0:16:18 > 0:16:20Vast difference, isn't it?
0:16:20 > 0:16:24It's preserving something that's been here for years.
0:16:24 > 0:16:26- Do you not think so, Betty? - Yes, I do.- I do.
0:16:26 > 0:16:29And it's lovely at the beginning of the season
0:16:29 > 0:16:36when everything is bright and shiny and sparkling.
0:16:36 > 0:16:39You're very aware of all the hands who took this stair rod down
0:16:39 > 0:16:41and cleaned it years ago.
0:16:41 > 0:16:45I think one's very aware of all the people who've trod here before.
0:16:45 > 0:16:47Some of my family worked here.
0:16:47 > 0:16:52I had a great aunt. She was in the laundry and her husband
0:16:52 > 0:16:56used to deliver vegetables to the kitchens.
0:16:56 > 0:17:00I think that's probably why I come here to do this.
0:17:00 > 0:17:05I think Petworth's the place that I have to come and help.
0:17:10 > 0:17:12Although the west front of the house
0:17:12 > 0:17:15still looks the way the Proud Duke intended,
0:17:15 > 0:17:17the parkland around it has changed.
0:17:17 > 0:17:21The Duke's successor, the 2nd Earl of Egremont,
0:17:21 > 0:17:25hired Capability Brown to landscape Petworth in the 1750s.
0:17:25 > 0:17:31Some 700 acres are now looked after by the National Trust.
0:17:34 > 0:17:38Over the winter, there's as much conservation work to be done out here
0:17:38 > 0:17:41as there is inside the house.
0:17:46 > 0:17:48It's not a bad view.
0:17:48 > 0:17:51It's absolutely glorious.
0:17:51 > 0:17:55- The technical term for it, I think, is a panorama.- It certainly is, yes.
0:17:55 > 0:17:58It really puts into perspective what Brown wanted to achieve.
0:17:58 > 0:18:01When you look at it at first sight
0:18:01 > 0:18:04you think what a beautiful piece of untamed nature
0:18:04 > 0:18:06but this is actually very tamed nature, isn't it?
0:18:06 > 0:18:08It's very contrived, yes.
0:18:08 > 0:18:13It looks natural, like a pristine part of the English countryside
0:18:13 > 0:18:15but there's a lot of man-made influence in here.
0:18:15 > 0:18:19This landscape is, in a sense, a work of art
0:18:19 > 0:18:20like all the works in the house.
0:18:20 > 0:18:23It is, yes, and from my point of view
0:18:23 > 0:18:27it's somewhat better, as that's my field of expertise.
0:18:27 > 0:18:29Tell me about the water features.
0:18:29 > 0:18:31Is that lake natural or did he put it here?
0:18:31 > 0:18:32It's man made.
0:18:32 > 0:18:36Brown built both the lakes in the park by massive excavation.
0:18:36 > 0:18:41It equated to 7,000 lorry loads - that's 20 tonne lorry loads.
0:18:41 > 0:18:45It wasn't only the grand old Duke of York who marched an army up and down.
0:18:45 > 0:18:48It certainly wasn't. Huge, huge landscaping works.
0:18:48 > 0:18:49Fantastic.
0:18:49 > 0:18:52It's a pretty unusual job, your job.
0:18:52 > 0:18:55You've been given care of this planted painting
0:18:55 > 0:19:00and yet you've somehow got to keep that 200-year-old project going
0:19:00 > 0:19:02and then add to it for the future.
0:19:02 > 0:19:07I pretty much consider myself the custodian of it, while I'm here,
0:19:07 > 0:19:10and I'll hand it on to whoever follows in my footsteps
0:19:10 > 0:19:13in the best possible condition that I can.
0:19:18 > 0:19:20Many of the gardening team's tasks are informed
0:19:20 > 0:19:24by this immensely long-term perspective.
0:19:24 > 0:19:25Some of their winter's work
0:19:25 > 0:19:30takes place in copses planted after the great storm of 1987.
0:19:31 > 0:19:33The sweet chestnuts here,
0:19:33 > 0:19:38intended to replace the hundreds of trees destroyed by that hurricane,
0:19:38 > 0:19:41now, in turn, have to be guarded from the deer.
0:19:43 > 0:19:47If the trunks can be protected from the damage antlers can do,
0:19:47 > 0:19:51they'll carry on growing for several centuries.
0:19:51 > 0:19:54But even when your goal is conservation,
0:19:54 > 0:19:57not every aspect of the past can be saved.
0:19:58 > 0:20:02This is 150 years old, approximately. It's a beech tree.
0:20:02 > 0:20:06We've noticed, recently, that it had a particularly nasty fungus
0:20:06 > 0:20:09and this could make the tree very unstable.
0:20:09 > 0:20:11So unfortunately - it's a very sad occasion -
0:20:11 > 0:20:13this tree is will have to come down.
0:20:13 > 0:20:17Only an expert eye would spot evidence of the Meripilus fungus
0:20:17 > 0:20:21but underground it devours the tree's roots,
0:20:21 > 0:20:26which means this 120-foot-tall beech is in danger of falling at any time.
0:20:28 > 0:20:32So woodsman Martin Sadler is taking a pre-emptive strike.
0:20:34 > 0:20:36This is highly-skilled work
0:20:36 > 0:20:42and a rather more dangerous side of conservation than hoovering statues.
0:20:42 > 0:20:46Martin has to make sure the tree falls onto open ground
0:20:46 > 0:20:49rather than onto other healthy foliage, or himself.
0:21:00 > 0:21:01Well, that went well.
0:21:01 > 0:21:03What we can see now we've felled it,
0:21:03 > 0:21:06it was critical that this tree came down when it did.
0:21:06 > 0:21:10We have a section of rot here which would have weakened the tree.
0:21:10 > 0:21:13And what you can see here where the trunk has shattered -
0:21:13 > 0:21:18the tissue there, which was holding up several tonnes of branch,
0:21:18 > 0:21:20is just falling to pieces.
0:21:20 > 0:21:24I'm very happy now that this tree is on the ground
0:21:24 > 0:21:26and not posing a threat to any of our visitors.
0:21:30 > 0:21:34Most of the tree will be recycled as building materials.
0:21:34 > 0:21:36It's just the brushwood that's burnt on site.
0:21:40 > 0:21:43Although a little bit of history has been lost,
0:21:43 > 0:21:45it's necessary in the service of a greater goal -
0:21:45 > 0:21:48keeping alive gardens planted centuries ago
0:21:48 > 0:21:52and preserving them for future generations to enjoy.
0:21:57 > 0:22:00In the house, too, conservation work is gathering pace.
0:22:01 > 0:22:06Next on the schedule is Petworth's very own place of worship.
0:22:09 > 0:22:12Here you get glimpses of what the house would have been
0:22:12 > 0:22:14when it began life in the Middle Ages.
0:22:18 > 0:22:23What I really love about the chapel, is how it puts you in direct touch
0:22:23 > 0:22:26with the different layers of history that make up Petworth House.
0:22:26 > 0:22:31The structure of the building is entirely Gothic, early 14th century.
0:22:31 > 0:22:33And yet, into that medieval skeleton
0:22:33 > 0:22:36has been shoehorned one of the great baroque interiors.
0:22:36 > 0:22:40Perhaps the most complete baroque interior in all of England.
0:22:40 > 0:22:44And it was all done at the behest of the Proud Duke.
0:22:45 > 0:22:49Pride of place is given to the Proud Duke's coat of arms.
0:22:49 > 0:22:51The angels hover above the very spot
0:22:51 > 0:22:55from which his Lordship would survey proceedings.
0:22:55 > 0:22:58Standing here, dead centre,
0:22:58 > 0:23:01you can see why they called him the Proud Duke. You can feel it.
0:23:01 > 0:23:05There's something fantastically theatrical and swaggerish about it.
0:23:05 > 0:23:08Look at those painted curtains.
0:23:08 > 0:23:11I think the chapel itself is a kind of microcosm
0:23:11 > 0:23:15of what the Proud Duke wanted Petworth House itself to be -
0:23:15 > 0:23:18a stage set for his own glorification.
0:23:18 > 0:23:23But for the modern custodians of Petworth House,
0:23:23 > 0:23:26the chapel's yet another dust trap.
0:23:30 > 0:23:33After eight months without a scrub,
0:23:33 > 0:23:36these really are angels with dirty faces.
0:23:36 > 0:23:40But they won't be once the conservation team has done its duty.
0:23:43 > 0:23:47- And there's your brush. - That's my brush.
0:23:47 > 0:23:49Just putting it to the chin test.
0:23:49 > 0:23:51This is softer than the brush I was using before.
0:23:51 > 0:23:54Yes, it is. This is a pony-hair brush
0:23:54 > 0:23:57and the brush you used in the Marble Hall was a hogs-hair brush.
0:23:57 > 0:24:01You're going to use it on this surface cos it's much more delicate,
0:24:01 > 0:24:04so you want to be very careful with the paintwork.
0:24:04 > 0:24:06OK, I will be careful.
0:24:08 > 0:24:11I feel slightly sacrilegious
0:24:11 > 0:24:13buffing up an angel.
0:24:15 > 0:24:18This is probably another creation of John Selden,
0:24:18 > 0:24:25the unfortunate woodcarver who died in the fire here at Petworth.
0:24:25 > 0:24:28It's actually a really beautiful piece of carving.
0:24:28 > 0:24:31I think they're very sweet. I like the finish - that gilding effect.
0:24:31 > 0:24:35They've got quite a strong sense of real life about them.
0:24:35 > 0:24:40They're angels but maybe they were modelled on the artist's children.
0:24:40 > 0:24:42I feel like I'm in the presence of a real little boy.
0:24:53 > 0:24:56Everything needs protection until the spring.
0:24:56 > 0:24:59Even the altar must be shrouded.
0:24:59 > 0:25:00To wrap around the corner,
0:25:00 > 0:25:04the team first needs to lower the flag which hangs there.
0:25:04 > 0:25:08This standard was a gift from the Life Guards, the regiment in which
0:25:08 > 0:25:11several generations of Petworth's family served.
0:25:13 > 0:25:16Sewn on here you've got the names of the various battles.
0:25:16 > 0:25:18They fought at the Battle Of The Somme!
0:25:18 > 0:25:22You've got Waterloo, South Africa, France and Flanders here.
0:25:22 > 0:25:26- So why do you have to take it down? - To give it a rest.
0:25:26 > 0:25:30It hangs for about 7 or 8 months at an angle and it's folded
0:25:30 > 0:25:33and the longer it stays in one position, folded,
0:25:33 > 0:25:35it'll start cracking and falling apart.
0:25:35 > 0:25:38It's the most amazing bit of needlework.
0:25:38 > 0:25:44They lay a thread down and then little tiny stitches are sewn over.
0:25:44 > 0:25:47So you go over and under and over
0:25:47 > 0:25:50so you held down with what's called couching stitches.
0:25:50 > 0:25:57So you end up with a lion that's got almost a hide of stitching.
0:25:57 > 0:26:01They've done it so that it follows the haunch of the lion.
0:26:01 > 0:26:03- That's right. - And he's got such a sweet face.
0:26:03 > 0:26:06It strikes me this is a very good example
0:26:06 > 0:26:09of the kind of object that you only really, really see
0:26:09 > 0:26:12and appreciate when you are taking it down and cleaning it.
0:26:12 > 0:26:14- It is. - It really is a piece of history.
0:26:14 > 0:26:17- Yes, very, very definitely. - And such a beautiful one.
0:26:23 > 0:26:26The delicate silk is vacuumed through fine mesh
0:26:26 > 0:26:30to ensure none of its fibres are sucked up.
0:26:30 > 0:26:33The flag will rest flat for the remainder of the winter,
0:26:33 > 0:26:36covered in tissue paper - like everything else in here.
0:26:36 > 0:26:40It's quite a big thing to wrap, an entire baroque chapel.
0:26:40 > 0:26:44- It is, but it looks so Christmassy. - Yes, just in time for Christmas.
0:26:47 > 0:26:51As usual at Petworth, the paper used is conservation grade,
0:26:51 > 0:26:54which means it won't release acids, chemicals or gasses
0:26:54 > 0:26:58which could tarnish or stain the wood.
0:26:58 > 0:27:01You slip it over the top like a little hat,
0:27:01 > 0:27:04then if you tuck the side bits around the back of the urn
0:27:04 > 0:27:07and then we'll stop any dust.
0:27:07 > 0:27:08Ta-da!
0:27:13 > 0:27:15You've turned it into a Christo -
0:27:15 > 0:27:18you know that artist who wraps everything up?
0:27:18 > 0:27:19It looks just like one.
0:27:23 > 0:27:27Having spent so much time cleaning, wrapping, dusting and hoovering
0:27:27 > 0:27:30the grand baroque spaces of Petworth, I've really been struck
0:27:30 > 0:27:34by the sheer force of the Proud Duke's personality.
0:27:34 > 0:27:37I mean, he left his mark on this place.
0:27:37 > 0:27:41But there's one other person who has come back to life for me
0:27:41 > 0:27:44and that's John Selden, the heroic woodcarver.
0:27:44 > 0:27:48And that makes me think about the sheer amount of labour
0:27:48 > 0:27:52that went into creating the great opera of the Proud Duke's house.
0:27:52 > 0:27:57For every Proud Duke there are a thousand John Seldens.
0:27:57 > 0:28:01The great irony is that if the Proud Duke could come to the house today
0:28:01 > 0:28:03and he could watch all of us beavering away,
0:28:03 > 0:28:07I think he'd be rather horrified - all of that labour for what?
0:28:07 > 0:28:10So that ordinary people, people like you and me -
0:28:10 > 0:28:13commoners - could enjoy the great spectacle that he created.
0:28:13 > 0:28:16I think he'd be horrified.
0:28:29 > 0:28:31Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd