Danson House was built in 1762 to designs by Sir Robert Taylor and some of the interior fittings are attributed to Sir William Chambers. The building is listed Grade I. At the inception of the current project in 1994, the House was included in the Buildings at Risk Register, rated grade 'A', that is, at immediate risk of further rapid deterioration or loss of fabric. It had no proper roof covering; the whole interior was heavily infested with pigeons, dry rot and wet rot and was suffering from structural failure of parts of the roof and upper floors. However, amidst all the chaos there turned out to be a substantial amount of extant fabric which would prove to be invaluable when making good the losses.
The works ranged from major structural repair and conservation of the external masonry to conservation of the original mahogany bookcases, marble chimney pieces and wall paintings, and reinstatement of the England chamber organ, historic light fittings and verdigris wall decorations (the principal, and very expensive, source of a rich dark green paint in the 18th Century).
Above-ground archaeology, led by Richard Lea, of English Heritage's Historic Buildings and Areas Research Team, played a major part in the development of the scheme design. This included detailed in situ examination of the superstructure, components and finishes, paint analysis and documentary research. The last of these revealed the existence of some rather good watercolours of the principal rooms painted by Sarah Johnson, the daughter of the second owner, painted about 1805. These revealed the appearance of the rooms before they were remodelled by Victorian owners and provided a good basis, together with physical evidence, for re-presenting them in their 18th Century form. The paint analysis also proved helpful in that a comparison of paint media applied to joinery elements assisted an understanding of the date of installation. The works completed during 2003 at an approximate cost of '4million. The building has now been taken on by Bexley Heritage Trust, and it is expected to be opened to the public by Summer 2005.
