Housekeeping - Part 1
On 25 November 2021, The Society for the Protection of Ancient Buildings (SPAB) are teaming up with The Institute of Conservation (ICON) to offer an afternoon of online talks, as part of their annual Maintenance Week, on the theme of caring for your old building’s historic fittings, fixtures and furnishings. As is stated on their website, the SPAB, founded in 1877 by William Morris, was established in response to the work of Victorian architects whose enthusiasm for harmful restoration caused irreparable damage. As qualified and ICON accredited conservation professionals, members of the Trusted Conservators network are delighted to be delivering the first of two online training courses introducing and exploring good housekeeping for old houses and other buildings.
View from a window of the Dianabad in Vienna by Nikolaus von Moreau (1830), in the Wien Museum, Vienna
The starting point to the day, will be an introduction by Katy Lithgow to the various chemical, biological and physical threats to collections and interiors - including temperature, RH, light, pollution and pests - to understand how they cause deterioration and what can be done to mitigate against their long-term effects.
This will be followed by a session lead by Helen Lloyd covering the regular care of hard surfaces, such as stone, wooden and tiled floors; plain and decorative glass, windows and mirrors, and ceramics in kitchens and bathrooms.
The final session of the afternoon, jointly presented by Ksynia Marko and Heather Porter, will focus on soft surfaces such as carpets and rugs, wall-hangings, curtains, tapestries and upholstery.
The afternoon is designed to provide information, guidance and practical advice on caring for historic fixtures, fittings and furnishings that may be in daily use or have suffered wear and tear. There will be tips on condition checking, spotting problems and dealing with emergencies, protective and preventive measures to slow deterioration, a range of safe cleaning techniques and the appropriate materials and tools needed for the job in hand, as well as how collections can be best presented. There will be plenty of opportunity for discussion, and delegates’ questions will be answered with information, as necessary, on where to go for further advice.
The November event will be followed in spring 2022 with an afternoon looking at paint, paper, stone and metals in historic interiors. Tap on the button below to access the SPAB bookings page.
If you are interested in bespoke training packages for staff and volunteers in museums, galleries and historic houses please do contact us for further information: contact@trustedconservators.com
Post created by Nicola Walker, 6 September 2021