Woburn Abbey Chandelier Restoration
Woburn Abbey Chandelier Restoration Working closely with the Woburn Abbey’s...
Working closely with the Woburn Abbey’s Curators, Wilkinson undertook the sympathetic restoration rewiring of an impressive antique giltwood chandelier, originally designed by Henry Holland (1745-1806) for the Abbey’s library in the 1780s/90s, where it has been in use ever since.
Initially fitted with wax candles, it was electrified in the 20th century although with wiring that had been unsympathetically attached to the outside of the carved and gilded wood stem pieces.
Wilkinson carried out sensitive rewiring work. By carefully drilling the carved wood stem pieces using a special long wood bit a new hollow steel barrel was installed allowing the electric wires to be routed inside, substantially improving the visual effect. The top suspension shackle and bottom finial were rethreaded to fit the new threaded steel barrel.
Twenty new tall, tapered nylon faux candles were fitted with miniature screw lamp holders and high-performance double-insulated flexes, hand-painted to blend with the gilt wood surroundings. A vintage spun brass cover was added to the bottom of the central shaft to hide the wiring connections.
Several slim icicle pendant drops and small oval buttons were sourced from Wilkinson’s antique stocks and joined together with fine brass wire, annealed, and darkened to match the existing connections.
The result is a very fine and historic piece, beautifully restored through careful craftsmanship and preserved for future generations.
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