Restorative work on the famous fountain sculpture from outside Finch House is nearly complete.
The bronze fountain sculpture lives in the entrance courtyard of Finch House, which is part of the former Old Manor Hospital site purchased by Affordable Housing and Healthcare Group (AHH) to build an affordable over 55s independent-living village.
Before work started on the Grade-II listed 19th century Finch House, which is the final phase of work on the former Old Manor Hospital site, the sculpture, which has listed status, was taken away to be cleaned and cared for by specialist restorers.
It will be returned to pride of place in the entrance courtyard this year, once work is completed to restore Finch House to its original grandeur while being converted into 21 one-of-a kind, bespoke apartments.
The owners of the new Finch House apartments will have access to the bistro, activity rooms, and other communal facilities shared by the wider Chapters community operated by Platinum Skies, which is part of AHH.
Finch House homeowners will also benefit from private communal gardens featuring a replacement of the property’s original glasshouse.
Jayne Meadows, who is working to restore the sculpture, said: “It’s a really interesting sculpture and it has been lovely to work on. High quality sculptures like this are incredible pieces of history and even to this day, we still use many of the same techniques that would’ve been used to create this, so I really marvel when I see something like this.
She added: “It has been a long process, but it is very satisfying to work on this sculpture, to take it from the weathered state it was in through to how it will look when it’s finished. It will be a very proud moment once it is ready to go back to Finch House.
The fountain sculpture features three female figures depicted in crashing sea waves. It stands at an impressive six feet tall, and was created by Léon-Joseph Chavalliaud, who was born in Reims in 1858.
It is set to be unveiled to the public for the first time at a Finch House launch event which will take place later in the year.
