Achi news desk-
The heavy rains of the west coast of Scotland have badly affected the Hill House since it was built in 1904 and water seepage was damaging the structure of the house and the bespoke interior decorations.
The National Trust for Scotland (NTS), which looks after the property, said samples taken from the outside of the house in late 2023 showed the structure was drying out as planned.
Between April 29 and May 3, conservation experts will take samples from inside the building to build an understanding of the water damage and how much this has been reversed by the box’s protection.
The project’s director, Elizabeth Davidson, said: “We are at a very exciting time in our work at Hill House.
“The box has been doing its dual job of preventing more water from affecting the building, and also allowing the structure, which was very wet in some places, to gradually dry out.
“We have been monitoring this process closely and this sampling helps us gain more insight into how the building responds to the drying process.
“Relative humidity in the house is now within acceptable conservation standards – a remarkable achievement given the highly visible areas of rain penetration previously through microcracking in the structure.”
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A series of samples will be taken from key internal areas of the house that have been badly affected by water ingress – the living room, dining room, drawing room, guest bedroom, wine and the pantry.
These will give conservationists more information about how water has affected the building, and whether there was any inherent flaw in either the materials originally used or the way they were used in the construction.
NTS said this will help inform future decisions about the conservation work needed to repair and restore the building, which is now one of the few Mackintosh creations left open to the public.
At the same time, the charity will reopen all chimneys and fireplaces to encourage air flow around the building and continue the drying process.
The house in Argyll and Bute town will be closed to visitors while this work takes place, however the walking paths, cafe, shop and garden will remain open.
Once the analysis of the sampling is complete, the next major milestone in the Hill House project will be the complete removal of the external concrete rendering on the building, which is planned for late 2024.
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Ian McLelland, NTS regional director for the south and west, said: “This project gives visitors a great insight into the detailed and technical work required to look after the Hill House – a place of international importance and one of Mackintosh’s best.”
The house was commissioned by the Glasgow book publisher, Walter Blackie, and the interior design of the house was a collaboration between Mackintosh and his wife Margaret Macdonald.
In January this year, Mackintosh at the Willow, the Mackintosh-designed tea rooms on Sauchiehall Street in Glasgow, joined the portfolio of properties looked after by NTS.
