The Gardens of the National Palace of Queluz: Conservation Intervention

This publication presents an overview of the conservation intervention project carried out for the gardens of the National Palace of Queluz in Portugal between 2003 and 2010. The palace and its gardens, in their present form, date from the mid-eighteenth century. There are 15 hectares surrounding the palace, mostly parks, as well as areas with various formal gardens. These are decorated with statuary, vases, fountains, and cascades, and include an azulejo tile-lined canal. Most of the statuary is carved in stone, but some are lead, cast by the English sculptor John Cheere, and constitute one of the largest collections of his work still in its original location. The project, undertaken in collaboration with the Portuguese government, World Monuments Fund, and WMF Britain was coordinated by WMF Portugal.