Conservation & Curation

Conservation & Curation

This collection includes research relating to the care of collections, interiors, gardens and parkland.

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National Trust

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Now showing 1 - 10 of 25
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    Item type:Book chapter,
    Removing large tapestry hangings from display
    (2006)
    Marko, Ksynia
    This is a particularly important issue where tapestries are hung at a very high level, above head height. In a few cases tapestries are already hung from beams which incorporate hoist mechanisms, as on some tapestries at Powis Castle, but these are rare in historic houses. In the absence of a permanent hoist mechanism, a temporary one can be devised using the wooden batten onto which the tapestry is fixed, or a secondary substitute batten prepared with a length of hook Velcro on one side which matches a length of loop Velcro pinned to the tapestry. This method has proved extremely successful at both Hardwick Hall and Packwood House in Warwickshire. A good hoist mechanism allows easy removal by simply lowering the tapestry onto the prepared floor area, laying it flat or carefully folding it onto a cotton or polythene sheet.
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    Item type:Journal article,
    The Seal Matrix of the Office of the Prior of Mottisfont Priory, Hampshire
    (2024)
    Roberts, George
    ;
    Cherry, John
    In 2022 the National Trust purchased a copper-alloy seal matrix associated with Mottisfont Priory. It had been discovered close to Mottisfont in 2021. This article describes the matrix in detail, as well as identifying its likely use in authenticating the sales of indulgences to raise funds for the Priory.
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    Item type:Book,
    Women Artists & Designers at the National Trust
    (2025-02-20)
    Conroy, Rachel
    Spanning six centuries, this book takes a closer look at some of the many women artists and designers whose lives are connected to National Trust places or whose work is represented in its vast collections. The selection features both talented amateur artists and professionals who have shaped the art-historical canon (such as Eileen Agar, Elisabeth Vigee Le Brun, Rosalba Carriera and Barbara Hepworth), focusing on their unique contributions and achievements across a range of disciplines, including garden and interior design, photography, illustration, enamelling, fine art, studio pottery and textiles.
      1
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    Women's creativity and display in the eighteenth-century British domestic interior
    (2004-08)
    Sharp, Katherine
    The piece examines the reasons for the rise and the decline of female decorative pursuits, which peaked in both range and creativity in the 18th-century; and how they were linked to the intellectual opportunities which were opening up to elite women at that time.
      2
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    Conserving other materials II: Upholstery
    (2007)
    Doyal, Sherry
    ;
    Gill, Kathryn
    This chapter introduces the principles and techniques for the conservation of diverse materials often associated with wooden furniture. Each of these materials is a specialist subject in its own right. It is essential that conservators undertake further research, consult references and seek specialist advice rather than undertaking treatments on an unfamiliar material. The conservator should be as well informed as possible about these materials and be alert for potential problems in order to avoid causing irreversible damage.
      1  1
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    Knole Revealed
    (2019)
    Cohen, Nathalie
    ;
    Parton, Frances
    Over the past decade, Knole has undertaken the biggest conservation project in the National Trust, supported by a generous grant from the National Lottery Heritage Fund. In order to conserve the internationally significant collections housed at the property, major work has been carried out on the fabric and environment of this Jacobean treasure-house. The ambitious project has meant that, for the first time, we have been able to explore and better understand the largest country house in England. This book shares the discoveries made through detailed archaeological recording and conservation at Knole.
      3  4
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    Upholstery materials and structures
    (2007)
    Doyal, Sherry
    ;
    Gill, Kathryn
    ;
    Umney, Nick
    ;
    Griffith, Roger
    Although upholstery conservation is generally separate from furniture conservation, many objects that the furniture conservator has to deal with are upholstered. Frequently, liaison between furniture conservators and upholstery conservators is required. Understanding the nature and behaviour of upholstery materials and structures and their significance in a piece of furniture is a prerequisite to understanding the deterioration, care and conservation of upholstery presented in later chapters. It is the purpose of this chapter to provide basic information that will lead to better appreciation and care of upholstery and better liaison with other conservators.
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    Medieval Graffiti Inscriptions
    (2018)
    Champion, Matthew
    Although the study of medieval church graffiti inscriptions has a long pedigree, recent large-scale surveys have brought to light tens of thousands of previously unknown examples. Perhaps the most intriguing aspect of the new discoveries is the fact that the vast majority of these early graffiti, where intelligible, have been shown to have distinctly spiritual, devotional, or votive meaning. Whilst the most obvious of these take the form of prayers or invocations, sometimes written in the conventional Latin forms of the Orthodox Church, many others appear to have been created in non-traditional forms. Vast numbers of these early inscriptions appear to reflect aspects of lay piety and belief, having an apotropaic function, and represent a personal interaction between parishioner and the medieval church. Taken together they indicate that medieval graffiti were regarded as both accepted and acceptable forms of devotion.
      2  1
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    Item type:Journal article,
    Indoor mould testing in a historic building: Blickling Hall
    (2018-12)
    Aktas, Yasemin Didem
    ;
    Shi, Jiaqi
    ;
    Blades, Nigel
    ;
    D’Ayala, Dina
    Indoor mould growth is a growing concern for all stakeholders of built environment, including residents, builders, insurance and building remediation industry as well as custodians of heritage buildings. The National Trust has reported this problem in a number of buildings under their ownership, and developed solutions and fine-tuned their maintenance programme so as to minimise indoor and surface mould growth risk. This paper reports findings from an extensive mould-testing scheme in Blickling Hall, a National Trust property in Norfolk, England, for an appraisal of airborne and surface mould levels within a total of eight rooms, including the famous Long Gallery. The testing protocol used combines active (aggressive) air sampling and surface sampling, analysis of the β-N-acetylhexosaminidase (NAHA) activity to quantify mould levels and particle counting. The results show that the airborne mould levels are quite low in all spaces, due to satisfactory maintenance of indoor hygrothermal conditions by conservation heating. On the other hand, while the National Trust’s developed solutions and maintenance programme have proved effective to avoid surface mould growth in those locations that historically suffered from microbial activity (such as behind book presses, picture frames and tapestries), the results show that the surface cleaning around windows should be improved to tackle surface water due to condensation, which is considered to be the main driver behind high surface NAHA activity obtained in these areas.
      1  3
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    Item type:Doctoral thesis,
    Daylight in historic house museums. Reconciling visitor visual needs with management practices
    (2026-01)
    Hernandez, Luz Maria Frias
    Daylit historic house museums face the dual challenge of conserving light-sensitive interiors while enabling visitors to visually engage with collections and architectural spaces. As many such buildings predate electric lighting, daylight plays a central role in sustaining historic atmosphere and authenticity. Across the museum sector, lighting guidelines have been developed to limit light-induced damage to collections while supporting visual access. However, much of the research that informed these guidelines was conducted in electrically lit office environments, resulting in limited empirical evidence on how daylight is perceived in heritage interiors. This thesis addresses this gap by investigating the extent to which historic house museum interiors are adequately viewed under conservation-led lighting conditions. An innovative mixed-method approach was applied in historic interiors in the UK and Mexico, two countries with contrasting daylight conditions. Visitor surveys were conducted alongside simultaneous vertical illuminance measurements. The resulting dataset was analysed using descriptive statistical techniques, including boxplot visualisation and correlation testing. This allowed to examine the relationships between measured daylight conditions against visitors’ visual performance and lighting perceptions across the two different latitudes. The findings demonstrate that visual adequacy and perceptions do not correspond linearly with illuminance levels. Visitor responses were shaped both by the sufficiency of light for viewing and by awareness of conservation values and institutional aims. Seniors and visually impaired visitors more frequently regarded low illuminance as inadequate for detailed viewing, whereas similar conditions were often considered acceptable by other visitors when associated with historic ambience and authenticity. Interior surface reflectance emerged as an important factor, with higher reflectance reducing the illuminance required to achieve satisfactory visibility. External sky condition also played a significant role: clear and partly cloudy conditions were associated with more favourable visitor responses, while overcast skies presented recurring challenges for museums reliant on daylight as a primary light source.
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