Goddesses take pride of place again after three years away

The statues of Ceres, goddess of corn and agriculture, is in the middle, with a new stainless steel sickle in hand, accompanied by two representations of Flora, the goddess of flowers and spring.

They are back on their plinths on the roof of the Orangery at Burton Constable Hall, near Hull, after a three-year absence.

Some of the work has involved repairing cracks and breaks caused by the layers of paint which have been put on over recent decades and trapped water underneath. Now that it has been stripped away, intricate details – like the ice-skaters on one of four roundels representing the four seasons – have been revealed.

The statues are made of coadestone, an artificial stone, used in the late 18th and early 19th centuries for moulding Neoclassical statues, architectural decorations and garden ornaments.

The conservation work supervised by conservator Ken Robinson involved Gary Dewson, the house technician at the Burton Constable Foundation, and Jack Straker, the grandson of the late John Chichester-Constable.

The Orangery, built in 1788-89 for William Constable, still grows kumquats and lemons.