Conservation & Curation

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

Now showing 1 - 10 of 25

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Upholstery materials and structures
(2007)
Doyal, Sherry
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Gill, Kathryn
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Umney, Nick
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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.
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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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Made to fit: reinstating a set of tapestries and painted panels into the Audley End Tapestry Room
(2006-01-01)
Harper, Michelle
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Thompson, Karen
The Tapestry Dressing Room was demolished in 1825 to create the present library. Following this, the tapestries were rehung (in 1836) in the ground floor Tapestry Room adjoining the Great Hall. One of the tapestry panels in the set was cut to fit across existing cupboard doors and a large section of tapestry was cut out to fit around a door case in order to fit into the new room setting. It is possible that further painted panels were added at this time as thestyle and quality of painting varies. The tapestries and linen panels remained on display until 1978 (Figure 26.1), when the room was restored as an Ante Room to Robert Adam’s Dining Parlour by English Heritage. They were then put into storage. When the hangings were examined prior to conservation, tapestry fragments and painted linen borders were found with them. It was not clear at this stage how the pieces fitted together, but there was evidence that the fragments may have been joined to the hangings. It was an intriguing puzzle to be solved before the hangings were returned to the Audley End Tapestry Room.
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East of Avebury: tracing prehistoric activity and environmental change in the environs of Avebury henge (excavations at Rough Leaze 2007)
(2012)
Snashall, Nick
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Pollard, Joshua
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Allen, Michael
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Cleal, Rosamund
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Gunter, Jim
The results of a programme of archaeological fieldwork at Rough Leaze, east of Avebury henge to examine settlement and other activities contemporary with or pre-dating Avebury henge.
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Indoor mould testing in a historic building: Blickling Hall
(2018-12)
Aktas, Yasemin Didem
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Shi, Jiaqi
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Blades, Nigel
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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 Î²-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.
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A Very Important Hall Lantern from Overton on Dee
(2024)
Roberts, George
This article looks at the origins of the hall lantern at Basildon Park in Berkshire, acquired from Overton-on-Dee in 1956. It identifies its original location as the now demolished Bryn-y-Pys House.
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Horticultural Collections at the British Library & the National Trust: Project Report
(2024-04-26)
Murray, Grace
The British Library (BL, or the Library) and the National Trust (NT, or the Trust) each have a rich relationship with the history of horticulture and botany. The aim of this June – September 2023 Doctoral Fellowship was to explore the relationship between gardens and books in the BL’s printed book collections and the NT’s libraries in its ‘garden properties’. The fellowship was divided into three parts. As a specialist in early modern print (1500-1700), I centred my research on annotation and reader interventions in early garden and plant books, and for the British Library I produced a searchable spreadsheet of 271 copies of which 55% contained interventions (Part One and Appendix A). On the basis of a similar survey of annotated material at NT properties using the Library Hub Discover and Trust catalogues and with additional support from NT colleagues, I selected six properties to research further, most of which have received little attention for their gardens & landscapes: Ormesby Hall (North Yorkshire), Treasurer’s House (North Yorkshire), Felbrigg Hall (Norfolk), Kingston Lacy (Dorset), Calke Abbey (Derbyshire) and Ham House (Richmond). At these properties I investigated annotation practice in garden books printed between 1500 and 1900, supplemented by manuscript material (Part Two). My research at both organisations fed into overall preparations for the BL’s ‘Gardening’ exhibition, supported by NT loans and possibly satellite exhibitions (Part Three). Additional project outputs include talks, conference papers & articles, as well as suggestions for further research.
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Did They Really Wear That? Authenticity and the Construction of Historical Dress-ups
(2020-03)
Mearns, Rosalind
An experimental archeology framework was used to examine the construction of historical dress-ups at a selection of historic house museums in the southwest of England. Of the twenty properties within the study area, thirteen were found to have dress-up installations with volunteers most commonly constructing the garments. Forty-eight dress-ups from six properties were then selected for further investigation. All of these garments were found to have made only limited reference to archeological and historical evidence in their construction. This then distorted their ability to authentically represent clothing from the past. Using these results, the challenges surrounding historical dress-ups will be explored and a new set of practical guidelines for their construction will be proposed.
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Proceedings of the National Trust PhD Students’ Conference 2025
(2026-02)
Gibbs, Daisy
This edited collection brings together research from National Trust–supported PhD students, showcasing innovative scholarship that deepens understanding of historic places, collections and their contemporary relevance. Spanning seventeenthâ€‘century global connections to twentyâ€‘firstâ€‘century questions of access and inclusion, the papers collectively reveal how National Trust properties are shaped by complex international, social and cultural histories. Research on Ham House and Saltram uncovers the early presence and influence of Asian objects, challenging assumptions about when and how global material culture entered British country houses. Studies of women’s agency at Tatton Park and Ickworth reposition Elizabeth Egerton and Molly Lepell as influential figures whose reading, collecting and social networks profoundly shaped their households and intellectual worlds. Work on Ormesby Hall explores the interwar pageant plays of Ruth Pennyman, examining how performance, photography and community participation reframed the role of the country house in modern Britain. Contemporary curatorial practice is interrogated through a longitudinal study of National Trust interpretation, revealing cyclical shifts, democratic impulses, and evolving expectations of the “public country house.” Finally, research at Snowshill Manor highlights how historic environments can unintentionally foster inclusive, sensory-rich experiences for neurodiverse visitors. Together, these papers demonstrate the vital role of research in reinterpreting heritage for diverse audiences today.
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Conservation & Curation

Conservation & Curation

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