Much of the restoration work has been completed by individual self-employed craftsmen and volunteers, with the restoration philosophy of repair in preference to replacement. Without the funding otherwise available to large organisations, the restoration has proceeded at a modest pace on a sustainable scale in contrast to the nature of commercial 'restorations' carried out by property developers.
The house has been privileged to be awarded a number of international honorary awards for the ongoing restoration. These include the Anne de Amodio Award of the Institut International des Chateaux Historiques (IBI, now combined with Europa Nostra) and the Medaille d'Argent of the Societe d'Encouragement au Progres.
Some funding has been made available for Hammerwood by English Heritage, without which the restoration of Hammerwood so far would not have been possible, but as the restoration progresses this will have represented only a diminishing fraction of the total. There is still a considerable amount to do to the house - the derelict dining room, dry rot, leaky flat roofs - as well as the restoration of the parkland and even after so long, the clearing of uprooted trees from the 1987 hurricane.
David Pinnegar and his family believe that houses such as Hammerwood are best preserved not entirely as museums but as family homes. Most importantly, however, a house such as Hammerwood, which was built for entertaining, should always fulfil its role at the centre of the local community, providing a focus for charity events and for concerts, as it did in previous generations.
We hope that visitors will enjoy and appreciate this beautiful place and will join in our enthusiasm to preserve it!
David Pinnegar