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Houghton Hall

Built in the 1720s for Britain’s first Prime Minister, Sir Robert Walpole, Houghton Hall remains one of England’s finest Palladian houses. A collaboration between architects Colen Campbell and James Gibbs, with lavish interiors by William Kent, Houghton was built to reflect the wealth, taste, and power of its owner.

Zardi & Zardi’s first big project in 2004, the V&A decided that a number of tapestries at Houghton Hall needed to be sent away for important conservation work. Three of the four series of Brussels tapestries depicting the story of Venus and Adonis needed urgent repair. Zardi & Zardi were commissioned to produce reproductions of the series so visitors could enjoy the tapestries whilst the originals were being conserved. First the originals were photographed precisely once they were at the restoration studio. In a matter of weeks the reproductions were at Houghton Hall, being unrolled and hung in the Green Velvet Bedchamber.

The Marquess of Cholmondeley was ‘delighted with their quality’ and hoped ‘that the technique will be used in many other places.’ - Telegraph Magazine October 2005