Mount Clare Temple

The Temple includes a 1760s painted ceiling with a deep cove, winged female demi-figures, medallions and garlands, surrounds a flat centre bordered with a raised band of guilloche; within this are painted a lute, laurel wreath, and an arrangement of tripod burners and honeysuckle tendrils. The walls once had large Prince of Wales feathers (visible in a Country Life article of 1935), now destroyed (note the rubble on the floor in the picture opposite) plus a relief plastercast of one of the Parthenon frieze panels - presumably added to the Temple after Elgin's acquisition of the Marbles. This last survives but damaged. The windows have been destroyed and are now boarded up.

HOLT has launched its restoration with the Southlands Methodist Trust who own the site, given a grant and is negotiating a partnership with a specialist conservation college who will train up young conservators over the next two years. Once up and running the project will be open to the public for tours to see the conservators at work.