How Queen Victoria’s Abandoned Bedroom Was Restored To Its Former Majesty

While hundreds of visitors pass through Arundel Castle each and every year, none are allowed access to one of the impressive rooms on offer: the bedroom slept in by Queen Victoria. That is, until now. Following a two-year restoration project involving some of the finest conservators in the country, Queen Victoria’s state bedroom has been returned to its original splendour and is available to visit. Carole Annett finds out what it took to restore the bedroom to its former glory.

Inside The Arundel Castle Project To Restore The Queen’s Bedroom

Royal visits take a lot of planning and two centuries ago, it was just the same. So when Queen Victoria and Prince Albert visited Arundel Castle in December 1846, the 13th Duke of Norfolk had ample time to prepare. Not only had he remodelled parts of the castle in honour of the royal visit, but he also instructed George Morant & Co, one of London’s leading decorators, to create a sumptuous bedroom. Thankfully the visit was a success, with the delighted queen writing how much she enjoyed her stay, commenting on the ‘beautiful’ castle and friendliness of her reception. The room she slept in was – from then on – known as Queen Victoria’s bedroom.

Zip forward to today and the current incumbent of Arundel Castle is Edward Fitzalan-Howard, the 18th Duke of Norfolk. In March 2023, the Duke and his wife – Francesca Fitzalan-Howard, Duchess of Norfolk – decided it was time for the majesty of the queen’s bedroom to be witnessed by the hundreds of visitors who enjoy the castle and grounds each year. Alongside textile historian and consultant Annabel Westman, they embarked on a two-year restoration journey, bringing together some of the UK’s finest specialists.

First on the roster was Barry Ansell from R D Robins upholsterers, who has countless stately home and historic house clients under his belt. Ansell oversaw the re-covering of furniture and fire screen banners as well as bed steps in a coordinating patterned fabric and velvet. Chyrowski Studio, which works with museums and private collectors around the world, carefully cleaned and conserved the gilded bed frame, re-carving some of the missing elements, including the distinctive Fitzalan family oak-leaf and horse-head motifs, and re-gilded them to match the original finish. Humphries Weaving, who recreated bespoke silks at both Windsor Castle and Hampton Court Palace after serious fires, reproduced the original four-colour brocatelle fabric – after no fewer than 24 development trials. They also reproduced gold-coloured silk linings and white satin for the dome interior, all dyed to match the original tones found on unfaded fragments.

Charles Hesp & Co hand-applied over 9,000 stencils in the bedroom and 4,500 in the adjacent bathroom, including metres and metres of decorative border. And to achieve the room’s rich gilding, they got through 4,000 pages of 23½-carat gold leaf. The passementerie was hand-made by Sevinch, while J5 Interiors created the bed draperies, ensuring the hangings and treatments faithfully mirrored the historical designs in both structure and fabric.

‘It is not just a return to the past, but a celebration of craftsmanship at the highest level,’ Her Grace, the Duchess of Norfolk, says of the restoration. ‘Queen Victoria’s stay at Arundel Castle was a moment of local pride and historical importance, and it was vital to us that this room should be restored with the same attention to beauty and detail that marked her original visit. From the delicate reweaving of the brocatelle silks to the detailed carving and gilding of the bed frame and the stencilling work, this has been a true collaboration involving some of the finest conservators in the country.’ One wonders what the current queen thinks of the recreated bedroom. Perhaps she’s already scheduled a visit.

Arundel Castle & Gardens, including Queen Victoria’s bedroom, are open until 2 November. arundelcastle.org