endowment. This was arranged, and Clandon House with seven acres of land – including Hinemihi – were donated to the National Trust. Historian James Lees-Milne described the house in 1942 as "dirty and in decay", and Merlin Waterson, former director of historic properties at the National Trust, said it was "much depleted when it came to the Trust". Its state rooms were almost empty, but as well as many paintings and items of furniture belonging to the Onslow family, the house also contained some 18th-century porcelain, textiles and furniture donated by Hannah Gubbay, a member of the Sassoon family. 1968 – 2014 It was extensively restored and redecorated between 1968 and 1970 by the interior designer John Fowler, who set out to "capture the spirit of the rooms and its period rather than to replicate exact historical detail". Other pieces were acquired from the National Trust's extensive collections, and notable antiques that had a long-standing association with the property were also bought for display in the house. Many historians have criticised Fowler's design choices at Clandon House. Merlin Waterson admits "he was not given clear enough guidance on what was historically appropriate". However, Neil Cossons, a historian and museum director, has noted "[Fowler] was ever anxious to avoid the "dead hand of the restorer". In these interiors nothing jarred and they were completely in keeping with the romantc taste of the period". In 1978, a parterre designed by John Fowler and Paul Miles was laid out on the south front, replacing early 20th-century flower beds. By the 2000s, the house contained, among other things, the Ivo Forde Meissen collection of Italian comedy figures, Mortlake tapestries, and other rich textiles and carpets. Due to its extensive costs of upkeep, the National Trust gained a marriage licence for the property, and it had become a popular local wedding venue. It was also in part or whole rented out occasionally to the media for various productions, including 2008's The Duchess starring Keira Knightley. In their 2012 At Risk Register, English Heritage described the park still owned by the Earl of Onslow as highly vulnerable, with extensive significant problems, and "unsympathetically managed thus affecting the overall integrity of the design and the setting of the house". Discussions about the development of a proposed business park were ongoing. 2015 fire On the afternoon of 29 April 2015, a fire started in the house's basement and