The renovated exterior from the west in 2007. Photo: Steve Gorton reproduced by permission of the Henry Moore Foundation

Restoration work has been completed on Hoglands, Henry Moore’s Hertfordshire home, where he lived and worked for 46 years.

The house will be opened to the public from June 2007 and staff at the Henry Moore Foundation hope it will add an important insight into the English sculptor’s work.

Hoglands dates from at least the beginning of the 16th century, with later modifications from the early to mid-17th century and an annexe built by Moore in the 1960s. Moore moved there in 1940 after his Hampstead home was damaged in the Blitz.

The large sitting room at Hoglands. Photo: Errol Jackson reproduced by permission of the Henry Moore Foundation. Most of the objects shown are on loan from the Henry Moore Family Collection

After Moore and his wife Irina died in 1986 and 1989 respectively, the house was unoccupied and slid into disrepair until the Foundation acquired it in 2004 and commenced the major restoration project.

The house was an integral part of Moore’s working life and visitors who have pre-booked will be able to take guided tours of it as well as explore the adjacent gardens and existing Henry Moore sculpture park, studios and gallery housing special exhibitions.

“The most compelling reason to restore Hoglands was that it was the nerve centre of what happened when Henry Moore was working here - everything seemed to originate here,” said Tim Llewellyn, Director of the Henry Moore Foundation.

The large sitting room in 2007. Photo: Steve Gorton reproduced by permission of the Henry Moore Foundation

Moore’s daughter Mary and family loaned the contents of the ground floor. The house’s foundations were replaced, rotten timber repaired, garden turf relaid, fences and paths remade and domestic and personal items restored.

“We have been able to record the atmosphere of what we believe the house was like in the late 60s and early 70s,” explained Mr Llewellyn.

The Foundation’s vast archive of images taken throughout the artist’s career was invaluable.

Moore in the large sitting room. Photo: Fuller Photography reproduced by permission of the Henry Moore Foundation. Most of the objects shown are on loan from the Henry Moore Family Collection

“What you are seeing is absolutely the material that was there, mostly in the places where it was and you will get a good feel of what the place was like and how Henry and his family lived there.”

“We all agreed that Moore’s memorial was his work, we didn’t want to create a kind of shrine to Henry Moore,” added Llewellyn.

“But when you see Hoglands and you see the things that are there … it genuinely does add to the understanding of where Moore was coming from as an artist. It does tell us quite a lot about the individual and the way he worked.”

By September 2006 renovations to the outside of the house and studio were at an advanced stage. Photo: Michael Phipps reproduced by permission of the Henry Moore Foundation

Walking into the house is certainly like entering a time capsule, albeit a highly artistic one. Domestic items like books of matches, telephone directories and shopping lists rub shoulders with countless works of art, ethnographic objects and found items like bones, tree branches and shells that clearly inspired Moore’s work.

Although Moore, the Yorkshire born son of a mining engineer, never particularly courted celebrity, reminders of the fame of one of the 20th century’s most celebrated artists are everywhere.

A diary entry records a visit by the Queen Mother and a photograph from French president Francois Mitterand records his visit by helicopter where he awarded Moore the Legion D’Honneur.

A corner of the large sitting room in 2007. Photo: Steve Gorton reproduced by permission of the Henry Moore Foundation

More down-to-earth details also stand out, such as the simplicity of the kitchen (apparently the weekly schedule of meals at Hoglands never changed) and a Christmas gift list - £3 to the postman, 20 shillings to the milkman.

Hoglands opens on June 1 2007 and visitors need to book an appointment to visit the house and rest of the Perry Green site. Call 01279 843333 for more details or visit the Henry Moore Foundation website.

All photos are © The Henry Moore Foundation. Images may not be reproduced or altered without prior consent from the Henry Moore Foundation.