Stately Home Chandeliers

National Trust parks and houses are a treasure to all who live in the UK; the opportunity to be able to step back in time, see and walk the grounds that used to be owned and how the interior of houses used to be decorated is fascinating and refreshing. Chandeliers can come in all shapes and sizes, but authentic, classical chandeliers are the most popular; and after seeing so many in all of these stately homes can you blame anyone!?

We have recently had the pleasure of doing work in Hinwick House, click here to read in more detail about the different work that we did within the house. The chandeliers were grand and there were multiple lights to change and fix! It was a challenge but equally as exciting. We loved being a part of helping restore the lighting to its former glory.

It is undeniable that lighting has definitely come a long way, but also undeniable that we still want it go back the other way due to the design’s that are constantly recreating lighting from the past. The authentic look of a chandelier is definitely a desired one! So many people strive to have authentic looking lighting in their homes.

From the 15^th century onwards, chandeliers used to symbolize status and power when hung and shown in stately homes; it was the symbol of money and lives of luxury. While this isn’t necessarily the connotations that chandeliers have nowadays, they still emulate a feeling of grandeur. This, it can be argued, is because of their timeless designs. Their designs have been carried over through the centuries to continue fanning our desire to ultimately make our homes more luxurious.

The increasing popularity of the use of candle bulbs in chandeliers
is even more evidence, which points towards the striving desire to have chandeliers looking the way they used to. There hasn’t always been electricity, and before the times of gas and electricity, chandeliers used to be lit with candles. The mid 19^th to 20^th century is when this all started to change and the revolution of gas and electricity was seen on the horizon. At this time, a lot of lights were converted so that they could bend with the times and be used with gas or electricity. This is seen in a lot of the National Trust houses today where original fixtures have been adapted so that they will work with electricity.

However having chandeliers which work with electricity isn’t always easy which has been proved in a recent news article. There has been a story about a chandelier work job that went wrong! Ever seen the sketch Only Fools and Horses? If you have, you’ll understand why this has made the news!

Workmen recently went into a stately home to take down
and work on an expensive and antique chandelier worth hundreds of thousands of pounds, and they sadly ended up dropping it causing thousands of pounds damage. This situation is reminiscent of the Only Fools and Horses episode where Del and Rodney were hired to clean a chandelier but they too ended up accidentally breaking it! This whole situation just
emphasizes the importance of being how fragile chandeliers are and how essential is it that they are well looked after.

To read more on the story follow this link: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2583281/You-plonkers-Bungling-workmen-accidentally-recreate-scene-Only-Fools-And-Horses-dropping-stately-homes-historic-CHANDELIER.html.

Chandeliers are fragile and priceless. This is shown through their copious adaptations they have endured throughout history, but also through their timeless designs. It is very important to ensure they are cleaned and maintained regularly to ensure they can go on being priceless. We at Classical Chandeliers offer a cleaning service for chandeliers which might be in a bad position to clean, or are just of a tricky design to clean, or just in need of a good clean and you might not know where to even begin! We will have your chandelier looking as good as new and sparkling like you’ve never before seen! As well as a cleaning service, alongside that we offer a restoration service; maybe you’ve read this article and are feeling inspired and want to restore and clean an old chandelier that you inherited but wouldn’t know how to get it working again, we can help! As seen on our website, we have a section dedication to discussing the different restorations we have previously done. So, if you are looking for a restoration or cleaning, please do get in touch!