Redecoration underway at Edinburgh historic house

One of the capital city’s most prestigious historic houses is being redecorated so that it looks fabulous for the start of the new visitor season.

One of the capital city’s most prestigious historic houses is being redecorated so that it looks fabulous for the start of the new visitor season.

The National Trust for Scotland’s Georgian House in Charlotte Square, Edinburgh is one of the capital’s most popular tourist attractions - in 2008 it welcomed almost 38,000 visitors. Welcoming so many visitors every year can take its toll on a heritage property of this type and so work to refresh the décor in the kitchen, dining room, bedroom and stairway is now underway.

The last major renovation at the Georgian House took place in 1975, when significant work to restore the house to its original Georgian glory was undertaken. The work undertaken at the Georgian House was at the cutting edge of property conservation. Paint colours were chosen based on information collected from the Trust’s Culzean Castle in Ayrshire, which is broadly contemporary with the Charlotte Square property, since there was no surviving evidence at the house.

Expert conservation staff have been working closely with Edinburgh-based painting firm John Graham to ensure that the new paintwork matches the existing decoration as closely as possible.

Property Manager Sheonagh Martin said:

“It’s been quite some time since the Georgian House was last redecorated, so we felt the time was right for a refresh. This has been a very interesting project to oversee, as we’ve had to carefully move much of the antique furniture and artwork in preparation. We’ve also found it a challenge to match the paint tones exactly and it’s only been through patience and perseverance that we’ve succeeded. The aim of this work is simply to ensure that the Georgian House continues to look at its best and bring that fascinating period to life for our visitors in 2009.”

The work is expected to conclude at the end of January and the house re-opens to the public in spring 2009.