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www.museumsandgalleries.net AUTUMN 2010

The People’s History Museum

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CONTENTS

Welcome to our

Launch issue

Cover story

Some might consider it reckless to launch a new enterprise in the wake of the biggest recession most people can remember but we have had wonderful feedback from the contributors to the magazine and I would like to thank them all for their participation.

The People’s History Museum, Manchester

I have had the pleasure so far of speaking to lots of positive and enlightened people in the sector and look forward to working with them and new voices for the next issue in the Winter.

They speak for themselves in the pages that follow and I am sure you will be met with the same courtesy I have received if you wish to know more about what they have to offer you and your organisation now or in the future.

We are keeping an open mind on contents for future issues so do let me know if you have something to share with us – whether it be a particular topic, project, product or other relevant piece of information you care to air with us and our audience.

One thing for sure, the next issue will carry a review of the MA Conference and Exhibition, so do let me know if you would like to flag up your presence. We have a stand at the show – No. 6 – and will be distributing copies of the magazine, so please call and say hello. The Museums Association has banners on our website to facilitate instant and comprehensive information about the event. This links to our online directory where you can be included if you wish.

If you feel we are the right platform for your marketing efforts we will obviously look to you now and in the future for your expert advice and knowledge and would welcome any articles to keep our readers informed.

I will be happy to give you a call if you wish or I can be reached any time on my mobile or via email. Once again thank you to all our contributors and we hope we can help you and other people in the sector to reach your intended audience.

email: richard@dmmonline.co.uk

The project in detail

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Museums Association Conference 2010 in Manchester

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Collections care at St Paul’s Cathedral

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Solar control solutions

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Conservation oportunities at West Dean College

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A Manifesto for Museum Learning: A new future for history?

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Are temperature and humidity controls really necessary?

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Sustainability in practice – Green case study: Manchester Museum

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On your bike and reduce your footprint

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Sustainability in practice – Green case study: Killhope – The North of England Lead Mining Museum

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The structure of paintings

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Finding conservators using the Conservation Register

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Maintaining and improving high standards in painting conservation and restoration

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Nelson’s Chair – a conservation victory

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A Victorian treasure finally preserved

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The conservation-restoration of furniture – how it all started

Tel: 0161 232 1124 Mob:07913 740380

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Viewpoint: In the first of a regular column Abby Cronin discusses life-long learning outside the classroom

Business Development Manager

‘There have always been ideas worth fighting for’

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Richard Shepherd

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www.museumsandgalleries.net

All other enquiries: Tel: 0161 850 1680 Fax: 0161 834 0077 3rd Floor, Blenheim Court, Carrs Road, Cheadle, Cheshire SK8 2LA Copyright Musuems & Galleries.

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be copied, reproduced or transmitted in any form without prior permission of Museums & Galleries.

Views expressed in this magazine are not necessarily those of the publisher.

MGA

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After 30 years in the classroom, I had come to a crossroad – should I opt for early retirement from university lecturing or soldier on to age 65? Burn out or change gear? I made the decision to go, but stepping off the college treadmill was more than a little daunting. Would I miss my students and colleagues? Of course I would, but if I stayed, when was I going to have the time and energy to enjoy the riches in London’s world-class museums and galleries? After all, they were only a tube ride from home.

It was the right decision. I headed off in a new direction and found myself on a superb part-time course in Museum and Gallery Management at City University. A whole new world of cultural life in London opened up. I was rejuvenated. But it was impossible for me to walk away from my passionate commitment to education. Maybe I would find educational opportunities in London’s museums and galleries. It didn’t take long. I soon found myself volunteering to help with educational initiatives in the Geffrye Museum and at Apsley House. I met curators and conservation professionals and learned what went into planning and mounting exhibitions for a wide audience. I gained enormous satisfaction in helping with the parties of school children who were regular visitors. The kids loved to learn about period styles in domestic interiors at the Geffrye. The Victorian sitting room was a real favourite. I’ll never forget the joy expressed by a little boy who said: “I wish I could live here.”

At numerous other museums and galleries children make Discovery Visits which involve hands-on, site-based activities designed to meet the needs of different groups across the key stages. Students of all ages and abilities meet characters from the past, engage in role-play or handle intriguing objects. They leave with a greater The British Museum organise free family events understanding of history, the arts, design and architecture which is simply not accessible in classrooms. The British Museum organise free family events as just one aspect of their diverse programme.

The BM is not unique. Throughout the London area numerous museums and galleries invite families to participate in a multitude of free weekend and half-term activities. It’s impossible to measure the benefits of these opportunities. Surely, in the current economic climate, the value of museum visits far outweighs a family outing to the cinema, when you consider the huge expense of ticket prices and sitting in the dark for an afternoon. It’s cheaper to watch television or a DVD at home.

Despite the dire economic circumstances in Britain today, we must question the Government’s wisdom in imposing stringent cuts in funding for museums and galleries. The loss of funding in this sector is the falsest of false economies. I offer only a few examples to illustrate how short-sighted this policy is. Specifically, the fashion industry contributes £21billion a year (Guardian 16.09.2010) to the UK economy. Business skills are required to maintain the strength of this sector, but there has been a serious loss of opportunities for young people to take practical courses to prepare them for work in fashion.

Courses offered at the Fashion and Textile Museum in Southwark have recently lost their funding and closed. Young people in the East London area are losing opportunities to develop the basic skills needed for a career in fashion. A second example is the near-closure of the world-famous William Morris Gallery, a centre of excellence for the study of William Morris and the Arts & Crafts movement in the London Borough of Walthamstow. Funding has been significantly reduced, but complete closure has only been averted because of the incredible fight to keep the gallery open. Third, but by no means last, is a recent Arts Petition announced on 11th September promoting a campaign, I Value the Arts, urging the public to voice their support for the arts. People are being asked to register at www.ivaluethearts.org.uk.

The 100 artists have joined almost 2,000 people who have signed

a petition against proposed cuts to government funding of the arts,

which are expected imminently as part of the Spending Review to

be announced next month. (Independent 11.09.2010)

I have to admit that my optimism for preserving our precious cultural venues across the museums and galleries sector is on the wane. Still, we must pull together, sign the petition and continue to urge the Government to change its policy of imposing serious cuts to the Arts in this country. q

Viewpoint

Life-long learning outside the classroom

by ABBY CRONIN

• Abby Cronin PhD is an independent researcher and freelance arts journalist based in London. She lectured for many years at London Metropolitan University and for the past eight years has written a column on arts and antiques for the quarterly magazine American In Britain.

She is a committee member of the Wallpaper History Society.

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‘There have always been ideas worth fighting for’ The People’s History Museum, Manchester n

Following more than two years of re-development, March 2010 saw the official reopening of the People’s History Museum in Manchester - a unique centre which explores many of the worldchanging ideas fought for by the working people of Britain, and charts the history of democracy from the early 18th century to date.

The extensive £12.5million re-development was supported by a £7.18 million grant from the Heritage Lottery Fund, along with £2 million from the Northwest Regional Development Agency and additional funding from the European Regional Development Fund.

Spanning two centuries, the museum provides a journey through the lives, histories and issues of the working people of Britain, and houses an unprecedented collection of almost 1,500 historic objects, including the world’s oldest trade union and miners’ banner, the Tinplate Workers, 1821 and Ashover Miners, c 1825, and the table on which the 18th century writer and revolutionary Thomas Paine wrote his ground-breaking publication Rights of Man. The main galleries open with the story of the Peterloo Massacre – a reform meeting held on St Peter’s Field in Manchester in 1819, which turned to tragedy when magistrates attempted to bring the 60,000 plus workers and families under control and several people were killed. The aftermath resulted in the first reform of Parliament in 1832

which gave the vote to some, but not all, men.

The galleries then track the rise of the Revolutionaries and Reformers of the late 18th and early 19th centuries, through to the Workers, Voters and Citizens of the 19th, 20th and 21st centuries those who gave birth to and fought for the ideas behind many political reforms taken for granted today, including the welfare state, the NHS and government housing. New displays include the museum’s collection of radical banners across the ages – the largest in the world – and show how workers in the 19th century won and spent precious time off work, including the story of the Co-op.

Award-winning architects Austin-Smith:Lord renovated the museum’s original location, formerly an Edwardian hydraulic pumping station, and have revealed the elegance and workings of the site which originally supplied power to mills and warehouses, and famously wound the Town Hall clock. The multi-million pound re-development joins this original site to a four-storey extension by a spectacular walkway, and is the first public building in Britain to be clad in Cor-Ten, a steel that will rust and protect itself, changing colour as the years pass. The new museum incorporates over 1384m² of new gallery spaces, a fully operational conservation studio, archive, shop and the Left Bank cafe bar. q

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The People’s History Museum

The project in detail n

In January 2004 Austin-Smith:Lord were appointed to lead a multi-disciplinary design team to explore the possibilities for consolidation of the People’s History Museum’s two operational sites in Manchester into one location through an expansion of the existing Pump House Museum.

Occupying the only one of three Edwardian hydraulic power stations to survive in the city, the Pump House is situated to the north west of the city centre bordered by the River Irwell, Bridge Street West and the new multi-storey Civil Justice Centre on Gartside Street.

This area forms the northern tip of the extensive redevelopment area in the city known as ‘Spinningfields’. This is an area of the city that has undergone a significant change of scale and importance which over the last few years has created over 2.5m sq.ft. of new commerce, retail and residential space.

The availability of an area of city council owned land adjacent to the Pump House provided the opportunity for consolidating all the museum’s public facing activities onto one site through the provision of a new extension which would allow the expansion of permanent galleries and new 21st century facilities for the public.

The site benefitted from a prominent riverside location at the Manchester/Salford border and, afforded space by both the river and the public piazza in front of the new Civil Justice Centre, had the potential for a dramatic ‘object’ building which could significantly improve the Museum’s presence in this key new area of the city.

The Museum, which re-opened in February 2010, has been completely refurbished and extended to provide a fitting new home for a unique and nationally important collection.

The Design The new museum consolidates all public facing activities onto one site. The new extension takes the form of a five-storey building, built into the site’s sloping, riverbank location and the site’s potential has been exploited by a bold and dramatic new presence on this important

city centre artery and gateway location.

A fully glazed ground floor concourse provides a welcoming new main entrance, allowing deep views across the building and providing activity and interest at street level, an impression reinforced by a café terrace overlooking the river.

The new concourse provides a generous space for new café, bar and dining facilities along with a new shop, reception and toilet facilities and most importantly encourages access via a dramatic new glazed link towards the original Pump House building.

Two levels of climate controlled permanent galleries are provided at high level, accessed by a new lift and stair tower that celebrates the museum’s waterside setting. The top floor provides a large Conservation Studio for banners and textiles.

Under the concourse a lower level faces onto a riverside walkway and accommodates a new archive (to BS5454:2000 standards) and a new Reading Room with river views.

In developing a masterplan for the expanded museum the successful balance of use between new and old buildings was a key aim. Providing the majority of close conditioned space and visitor facilities in the new extension has allowed the sensitive restoration of the key spaces within the historic building.

The Engine Hall has been stripped of its original shop and café intrusions to recover its dramatic volume and now provides a multipurpose space for daylight tolerant exhibitions, education and conference events.

A new expanded changing exhibition gallery has been provided at ground floor level, which can be linked flexibly with the Engine Hall and this has allowed the original form of the first floor ‘coal store’ to be recovered and used as a conference facility.

The basement of the Pump House has been converted from gallery use to provide offices and the big windows to the river have been opened up to flood this space with daylight again.

The need for close controlled, light-proof galleries has been exploited

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visually to mark the refurbished museum’s presence through strong sculptural form-making. The design has achieved prominence without overbearing the original Pump House building.

The extension is unmistakably a new building yet it establishes a sympathetic relationship with the maturity of the Pump House through the tonality of the COR-ten rainscreen cladding and bold massing that echoes the industrial forms of the existing building.

Project Partner, Chris Pritchett writes: This is our second cultural project in Manchester’s huge Spinningfield development area. Our previous scheme to ‘Unlock the Rylands’ saw the re-opening of Basil Champneys’ Neo-Gothic masterpiece in 2007 after a programme of sensitive repairs and alterations and the design of a new landmark entrance and archive building.

The creation of the new People’s History Museum has shared many design challenges with the project to ‘Unlock the Rylands’ including a new ‘landmark’ extension, and, as at the Rylands, an important role for this new building was to re-invigorate the Client’s public presence in the city which again required balancing an appropriate level of assertiveness and personality with a sensitivity to the context of the existing historic building.

The brief called for a new extension that would be welcoming and open enough to become the new entrance but that would also provide a series of ‘closed’ spaces for sensitive collections reducing the exclusion of daylight and close environmental control.

Providing large windowless volumes in a prominent city context is always an architectural challenge, with tight city sites the most viable solution appears to be to push the big, closed volumes up into the air, leaving the ground floor available for entrance, circulation and amenity spaces which can be celebrated through highly glazed facades.

This natural division of closed and open spaces seems to create naturally dramatic architectural compositions which perhaps achieve more visual impact than the building might otherwise deliver.

At the People’s History Museum this effect is reinforced by a simple sculptural approach to the main volume of the building and a careful handling of external materials.

The connectivity between new and old buildings is always important.

The concourse linking new and old buildings is deliberately kept wide to preserve views into the historic building and the link is given drama through its double height space and high level linking bridge to provide a variety of routes and a sense of promenading through the building.

The distinctive colour and texture of the Corten cladding was also chosen to reflect the Museum’s connection with Working People and the impact of industrialisation on the development of the county’s political history; as there is a deliberate element of narrative in the choice of the building’s façade treatment.

The natural layer of oxidisation that forms on the steel’s surface also forms a suitably sympathetic foil to the red brick of the original Pumphouse, yet is rich enough to contrast with the predominantly silver and glass ‘corporate’ architecture that otherwise dominates Spinningfields.

The new building is a strongly contextual response; it works with the much loved historic building to make a successful and sustainable museum; it dramatically reinforces the presence of the Museum in the city; it celebrates a key landmark site and riverside setting; it contributes to the commercial and cultural diversity of a new city quarter and the boldness of the building’s colour and form aims to reflect the independence and spirit of the people whose stories are told within the Museum. q

4 JORDAN STREET, MANCHESTER M15 4PY T: 0161 228 7569 E: manchester@austinsmithlord.com www.austinsmithlord.com

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Museums Association Conference 2010 – Manchester n

The Museums Association has announced the full programme for its Annual Conference and Exhibition, which takes place this year in Manchester, from 4-6 October at the Manchester Central Convention Complex. It is Europe’s biggest gathering of its kind for museum and gallery professionals.

Manchester boasts some of the UK’s best museums and galleries outside the capital. The conference will include study tours of many of these, as well as major evening events at the newly-reopened Peoples’ History Museum and the new extension to the Museum of Science and Industry.

The Conference sees over fifty sessions as well as the Exhibition and its seminar programme (free to all), networking events, evening receptions, professional development surgeries and fringe events.

Conference themes Working in partnership looks at why partnerships are all the rage and reveals the secrets of collaborative success.

Showing off posits that the age of the blockbuster exhibition is dead and looks at how museums and galleries can encourage creativity and use collections to best effect when the hard times bite.

Whose museum is it anyway? examines the benefits and barriers to public participation in museum decision making, and asks if it should be the ultimate goal of a museum to be a truly democratic organisation.

Keynotes • Neil MacGregor, Director of the British Museum on the BM and • BBC’s A History of the World in 100 Objects series and its legacy.

• Alex Poots, Director of the Manchester International Festival will • talk about leadership, creativity and taking radical risks.

• Jeremy Hunt, Secretary of State for Culture will open the • conference with an address.

For more information see the Museums Association website www. museumsassociation.org/conference. q

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Perspective elevation showing the quire and a proposed open screen,

by FC Penrose, October 1860. Image courtesy of St Paul’s Cathedral

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St Paul’s Cathedral is arguably London’s best loved building.

It has long enjoyed iconic status among Britons and tourists alike. Currently, its famous profile shines even more brightly as the Cathedral has recently undergone a multi-million clean-up operation to remove three centuries of city grime from its brilliant white Portland stone.

However, not all of the work underway to preserve this jewel of 18th century architecture is so immediately obvious to the passing observer.

Within its walls work a small team of dedicated professionals who care for an amazing assortment of sculpture, artworks and architectural archives that make up the Cathedral’s historic collections.

These collections are recorded and managed with the aid of an Adlib Museum and Archive Collections Management System supplied by Adlib Information Systems Ltd. This powerful software package allows archives and curatorial staff to employ consistent terminology for cataloguing and inventory management of the different collections and also enables links to be established between the records of artefacts and archives.

Expansion of the system to include a web interface to grant access to selected collections data for researchers and the general public is currently under consideration.

For more information about the Cathedral’s collections, please see www. stpauls.co.uk. For more A design for one of the apse information about Adlib windows by Julius Schnorr von software, please see www.

Carolsfeld and FC Penrose, 1862. adlibsoft.com q Image courtesy of St Paul’s Cathedral

museums and galleries KAD - Asbestos Specialists for Museums & Historical Objects

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Most people are aware of the risks associated with asbestos from building fabric materials in museums, but have you ever considered asbestos being present in the display showcases or historical objects?

KAD have spent 5 years dedicating our specifically designed asbestos services to protect the liability of museums, by reducing the risks of exposure to asbestos and preventing the spread of asbestos in museums.

KAD have handled, inspected and identified a huge number of asbestos risks in historical objects both in storage and on public display.

We’ve inspected practically all forms of collections from aircraft to light bulbs and found asbestos in approx 80% of the collections we’ve inspected!

Practically all Asbestos Containing Objects (ACOs) KAD have identified present a significant risk to collections care specialists, and in many cases the general public. The main reason for this is simple – lack of accurate information and knowledge on asbestos in the collections.

To explain the difference between building fabric, Asbestos Containing Materials (ACMs) and Asbestos Containing Objects (ACOs) :• Approximately 3,000 Asbestos Containing Materials (ACMs) have • been used as building fabric materials • There are over 5,000 ACMs used in historical objects • Buildings have used asbestos for over 100 years • Historical objects have used asbestos for over 5,000 years • Building fabric ACMs are usually recorded and in good condition • Historical object ACMs are usually un-identified and in poor • condition.

• Building contractors are asbestos awareness trained • Very few collections care staff are asbestos awareness trained • Building fabric materials are only usually disturbed during • maintenance, repair or refurbishment • Historical objects are handled, cleaned and regenerated on a daily • basis So why are the HSE now looking for museum organisations and heritage sites to manage Asbestos Containing Objects (ACOs)? Because

the risks of exposure to asbestos in the collections is far greater than the risks of asbestos in the building fabric.

From years of training, inspecting and assisting UK National Museum Organisations in managing asbestos in collections effectively and efficiently, we have developed museum specific policies and procedures for asbestos management. If suitable management procedures are not in place there is a substantial risk that in the future collections care staff who are exposed to asbestos may seek legal compensation from you the employer, to which insurance usually will not cover.

So how can you reduce your exposure risks and limit your organisation’s liability? KAD have worked closely with the HSE for 5 years ensuring our specifically designed asbestos management procedures not only meet the current regulations, but excel them.

KAD are currently working with many National Museum Organisations throughout England & Scotland to minimise and reduce their liable risks and results have been instant. KAD have designed a historical objects specific risk assessment that applies to any object, anywhere in the world, and completed by the collection care staff within 10 seconds!

KAD specialise in inspecting historical objects in order to locate and assess any asbestos that may be present. The information is recorded and presented in a survey report with colour photos, floor plans and an asbestos register to complete your legal requirements. If any asbestos is detected KAD work closely with the client to ensure any treatment is conducted safely, correctly and effectively to protect the objects and the client interests. KAD can make all necessary arrangements to treat any ACMs that are identified, design a remediation project, project manage the entire process, update all documents and issue certificates to ensure legal compliance.

KAD Environmental Consultancy are the only one-stop-shop asbestos professionals specialising in historical objects and are members of the Museums Association. So remember, before conducting any refurbishment of galleries all building fabric, showcases AND historical objects need to be professionally inspected for asbestos. q

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Solar control solutions n

CSC Window Films & Blinds are pleased to announce a partnership with The Scottish Holland Blind Company.

This partnership aims to supply quality British made blinds using traditional systems and Scottish Holland fabrics. The blinds will be made exclusively for CSC Window Films & Blinds at The Scottish Holland Blinds’ factory in Scotland.

CSC Window Films & Blinds now offer a full refurbishment service for traditional ratchet, cap & rack and sheath end roller blinds. In addition, new Scottish Holland fabric covers can be made to match existing roller systems.

As well as protecting interiors from UV and infrared rays, the range of products available from CSC Window Films & Blinds is designed to enhance interiors, adding a distinctive touch of style to any room.

CSC Window Films and Blinds are used extensively within National Trust and English Heritage properties to enable rooms to be opened to the public whilst still being protected against sun damage.

The new partnership between CSC Window Films and Blinds and Scottish Holland is geared to offering clients complete reassurance of solar protection by dealing with the leaders in the market, and both companies are proud to be listed as suppliers to the National Trust in the Manual of Housekeeping. A number of new services

previously not available to the heritage sector are now on offer, including: • Refurbishment of existing barrels and covers at 60% of

cost of new blinds, in house or on-site.

• Matching blackout colours to complement original fabric

colours • New Tandem style assembly to allow shutters to be

closed • Free Lux & UV on-site survey A solar protection consultant will visit the property and discuss ‘at risk’ areas and areas of personal concern and will also carry out a full light survey, enabling clients to decide how they wish to protect the contents of their property. This service is free of charge with no obligation.

Commissions undertaken recently include the Castle of Mey, Chequers, Castle Howard, Torre Abbey, Bowes Museum, Beamish Museum, Knowsley Hall, Kelmscott Manor, Burghley House and many National Trust & English Heritage properties.

The company can be contacted for a free no-obligation survey and quotation on tel 01159 665296 or email sales@cscwindowfilms. co.uk. q

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Conservation opportunities at

West Dean College

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Edward James inherited the West Dean Estate in 1912 and, when he came of age in the 1920s, he began investing his money and time in supporting artists, craftspeople, dancers and poets. His excitement by all aspects of the arts, his determination to push the boundaries by investing in artists – not art per se – brought him into contact with many of the greatest artists of the period.

At the outbreak of the Second World War Edward James became concerned that ‘certain arts will be completely lost, and artists will need protection’.

This quest for preserving traditional crafts and skills and using them within the creation of art and objects and in the conservation of our heritage is central to all study at West Dean.

The College is housed in Edward’s former family home, a 19th century flint-faced mansion, in 6,400 acres of stunning landscape within the rolling South Downs.

Over the past forty years the College has built a worldwide reputation in both full and part time study. Fulltime programmes of study encompass four broad areas: Object Conservation (books, clocks, ceramics, metals and furniture), Making (stringed musical instruments, furniture, clocks and metalwork), Visual Arts (painting & drawing, sculpture and tapestry & textile art) and Creative Writing. Many of the programmes are validated by University of Sussex – students can study from diploma level through MA/MFA to PhD level.

Student numbers are deliberately kept low, and West Dean graduates are amongst the most sought after in the national and international workplace. Graduates from the College’s object conservation programmes can be found in some of the world’s most prestigious museums, heritage organisations and commercial settings.

Student testimonials Edward Cheese, Book conservator, Cambridge Colleges’ Conservation Consortium: “West Dean College was a tremendously exciting college at which to study: enthusiastic experts as teachers who were fully engaged and the ethos of excellence in craft work was deeply inspiring and have left a longlasting determination in me to strive always for the best I can do.”

Marc ter Kuile, Self employed clock conservator: “After a 25 year city career, I wanted to learn a new trade, something that I

could do from home, which would create an income, allow me to be my own boss and, ideally, would force me to use both my head and hands. I found it at West Dean College, on the clock conservation programme.”

Georgina Castle, Ceramics and glass conservator: “West Dean provided excellent tuition, set within a stimulating environment.

Internships within the private and public sectors were arranged together with visiting professionals within the field of Conservation.

My internship study was held at the Victoria and Albert Museum during which time I was involved in the setting up of the Glass Gallery. I now run a studio specialising in the conservation of decorative objects in Thame working for private collections.

Full-time students also have access to West Dean College’s short course programme. Over 700 courses are programmed throughout the year within the areas of arts, crafts, building and object conservation, photography, creative writing, music, gardening and food. q For more information: (+44) 01243 818 208 diplomas@westdean.org.uk www.westdean.org.uk

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A new future for history? n

‘Culture has plenty of people telling it what to do from the outside, but no-one on the inside, figuring out its proper place in the modern world’, according to Culture:Unlimited.

Culture:Unlimited is the new think-tank for the cultural sector.

It is a place to shake up orthodoxy, pioneer some new ideas and invent the future. Somewhere to do some research and development and try to answer the question: What are museums for?

One example of this pioneering organisation’s innovative new approach is their Manifesto for Museum Learning. The group which conceived the manifesto was convened by the Campaign for Learning through Museums and Galleries (clmg), before it was renamed Culture:Unlimited. Extracts from this manifesto outlined below give a flavour of the organisation’s radical thinking.

In defining the role of museums, the manifesto states that: ‘At their best, museums can tell us who we are, where we have come from and where we might be going. They are an antidote to short-term tabloid life, a cure for passive living and places whose role in today’s uncertain society is more important than ever.

Museums work by story-telling: they confront us with the familiar and comforting and the new and challenging, inspiring us to look afresh at the world or grasp things that need imagination.

Museums entice us to explore ourselves: they provide opportunities for testing out our ideas, for chance encounter, for discovery and for inventing things anew.

Museums are exploratory, diverse, informal, inspiring and fun: they are purveyors of learning in disguise that appeal to all our senses.’

The manifesto then introduces the idea of creating museums with learning at their heart. It suggests that one of the ways in which this objective could be achieved is by allowing museum audiences to learn by being a part of creating the museum, as well as being consumers of its output. That output too, would be driven by reaching the public wherever they are, getting away from the turnstile thinking which says success is measured by numbers through the door. The museum would essentially listen to as much as it speaks to the public, learn as much as it teaches and have an input channel as well as an output.

The manifesto continues by stating that museums could also make themselves teachers and learning organisations for professionals, as well as learning providers for the public.

A museum based on learning would have a duty to spread

innovation throughout the worlds of learning and culture. This would go way beyond sanitised good practice reports, by welcoming risk-taking, innovation and, inevitably, failure as potent learning tools.

Museums would become porous – defined by what they do as much as by what they hold – and able to take on contemporary issues such as genetics, climate change or terrorism and hold up a cultural mirror for modern society to reflect on its actions.

Another innovative idea put forward in the manifesto is the concept of 4-D – defined as what museums would look like if they were designed from a learning point of view. They would be places of imagination, exploration, debate, democracy and understanding for the public and the professionals – all of them on learning journeys with museums as their navigators, guides and guarantors of safe passage.

So what would the concept of 4-D mean in practice? The manifesto has some answers. It suggests that museums could contribute to respect, tolerance, dignity and understanding in society; countering the effects of living in, but not engaging in, multicultural Britain by initiating, facilitating and communicating stories of citizenship, cohesion and (multi) cultural life, in a number of ways.

These include providing a cultural welcome to the UK for all new arrivals – a bit like the best induction programmes you get when you join top-notch organisations: something to help you get your bearings and something that explains how things really work. And yes, it would be created by modern, multicultural Britons, with their kaleidoscope of several hundred languages, dozens of religions, myriad ethnic groups and countless outlooks on economics, politics and society. The legacy of this, it says, would be a set of stories as powerful in explaining life in Britain to other Britons as they are at unmasking it for newcomers.

Another suggestion is that museums could also create new cultural gateways – simply the result of taking the walls off the museum ‘box’ and ‘sprinkling’ them anywhere: so why not travel agents’ windows with exhibitions of Greece and Egypt; GP’s surgeries with explorations of genetics; or airport lounges with museums as an alternative to shopping for suncream?

For further information tel: 01288 350672, email directorsoffice@ cultureunlimited.org, visit www.cultureunlimited.org. q

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Are temperature and humidity controls

really necessary?

by RACHEL MADAN Director of Greener Museums

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Parameters for environmental conditions in museums have been in place for over forty years based primarily on the stable conditions of underground tunnels, cellars and quarry caves in which some British artworks were stored during the Second World War. These parameters were narrowly defined and accepted due to various factors at the time including relatively inexpensive energy supplies, inadequate scientific understanding and the technological limitations of heating, ventilation and air-conditioning systems (HVAC). Since then, times have changed.

Notably, the cost of energy has risen and the effects of climate change are increasingly being felt. Further research and discussion has lead to a questioning of the ‘gold standard’.

Research by Marion Mecklenburg and David Erhardt has been particularly useful in illustrating how most heritage materials are more resistant to temperature and humidity than was previously thought. In line with this research, in 2004 the Smithsonian adopted new guidelines which allowed for greater flexibility in temperature and humidity

fluctuation. This has led to energy savings of approximately 17% per year, and reduced condensation on walls, resulting in less wear-and-tear on buildings. It has had no known negative impacts on the collections.

The cost benefits to museums alone brought about by adopting more flexible controls are obvious.

In more recent years progress in this area has accelerated. In May and October 2008, meetings of the Bizot Group resulted in a team of UK conservators and other stakeholders undertaking to review environmental conditions in museums. Mark Jones of the V&A, London is a strong advocate in bringing about change in the way that museums and funders implement environmental standards. He states that different objects require different climate controls and the imposition of blanket requirements needs to be reconsidered. Sir Nicholas Serota of the Tate, London has also been instrumental in advocating change, supporting research and drawing attention to the relevance of climate change to museums and galleries. As a first step in reforming policies, the National Museum Directors’ Conference (NMDC) has provided guidance on reducing museums’ carbon footprints. You can view the guidelines online.

So what’s been happening recently? After all, the Smithsonian adopted new guidelines in 2004 and the NMDC guidelines appeared in 2008.

What’s happening in 2010?

In February the Indianapolis Museum of Art decided to move away from the gold standard of climate control and gave current and future lenders the opportunity to withdraw commitments. As of April no one has signalled their intent to do so.

In April a symposium entitled Rethinking the Museum Climate, was hosted by the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston and the Getty Conservation Institute to consider and respond to the NMDC/Bizot Group draft guiding principles. At the meeting general agreement was reached on interim guidelines for loans to the American Association of Museum Directors.

On May 13th this was followed by the Third Roundtable of the International Institute for Conservation of Historic and Artistic Works (IIC), entitled The Plus/Minus Dilemma: The Way Forward in Environmental Guidelines. The meeting raised the need for a more interdisciplinary approach to obtaining more environmentally friendly standards, the lack of properly defined levels and the opportunities that exist through creation of micro-climates and the creative use of space. You can find out more on the IIC blog.

So, if you have not already done so, perhaps it is time to join in the debate and consider what opportunities exist for your museum.

• Greener Museums is a company dedicated to helping museums all over the world accelerate progress towards sustainability.

Rachel Madan has over a decade of experience as a sustainability consultant working with NGOs, the US Environmental Protection Agency and major UK companies such as Marks and Spencer and Clifford Chance. She has been quoted in Museums ID Magazine, Museums Journal and Museums Practice and is about to publish a book with Museums Etc on Sustainability in Museums. You can sign up for Greener Museums’ free report on the State of Sustainable Museums at www.greenermuseums.org. q

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Sustainability in practice

Green case study: Manchester Museum

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Manchester Museum has been in its present Victorian building near the city centre since 1888. Part of the University of Manchester, it employs 94 staff.

Following a major refurbishment project between 1999 and 2003, its environmental control systems are relatively efficient, however it is improving them in line with its objective to ‘put sustainability at the heart of its operations… and to contribute to the sustainability agenda through its own practice.’

In addition, the university has introduced sub-metering of energy supplies so that end-users, including the museum, can be charged for their energy use. Nigel Thompson, the museum’s assistant director, says, “A carbon trust survey gave us an overall picture of annual energy consumption for the first time. Recommendations for reducing energy use included better control of the environment and lighting, staff training and awareness-raising, improved procedures for out-of-hours shutdown of building services, time-switches to local hot-water heaters and occupancy sensors to control lighting in WCs.” The museum commissioned environmental charity Global Action Plan to help, working together with the university’s Whitworth Art Gallery and the John Rylands University Library.

Examples of Global Action Plan initiatives to change staff behaviour include: • Small rewards (such as chocolate bars) for staff who turned their computers off before leaving work • Better provision for recycling • Green Days to promote energy efficiency, encourage waste reduction and gather ideas and feedback.

Current plans to embed sustainability involve: • A cross-departmental team to promote environmental sustainability • Departmental annual operating plans that include sustainability targets for procurement, travel and waste management • Annual audits of departmental performance Planned infrastructure improvements include shared office printing facilities and the gradual replacement of tungsten and tungsten-halogen lighting with light-emitting diodes (LEDs). Thompson says, “£6,000 spent on LEDs in one of the galleries could result in annual savings of £5,000 in energy costs and £3,000 in maintenance and lamp replacement costs – equivalent to a pay-back period of just nine months.”

The 2007 Carbon Trust survey calculated the museum’s annual CO2 emissions to be 800 tonnes. By 2011 the museum wants to reduce it to less than 500 tonnes, cutting energy consumption and the amount of waste it sends to landfill by 40%. q

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On your bike

and reduce your footprint n

Whilst the late twentieth century boom in car ownership has broadened the horizons of a huge majority of the population it has also had a significant downside, bringing numerous problems to the community and the environment.

Congestion, pollution, laziness, reduced fitness and poorer health as well as the recently coined road rage.

The increased awareness of these issues has encouraged more people to question their need for a motor car and select alternative forms of transport thus reducing their carbon footprint.

A growing number of people of all ages are beginning to make shorter journeys by bicycle. They use their bikes to travel to work, go shopping and visit friends as well as making recreational journeys.

When considering recreational destinations many cyclists will look for destinations which cater for them and provide adequate safe and secure cycle parking appropriate for the environment. For this reason cycle parking facilities are a must for museums and galleries looking to attract the wider public in an increasingly competitive market.

Security and safety tend to be uppermost in cyclists’ minds when leaving their mounts – you must give them the ability to lock their bikes to a rack or stand which will both support and secure it easily. Consideration should be given to the positioning of any cycle parking area to reduce the potential for

theft and damage by opportunist thieves, as well as providing adequate access for them to park and retrieve their bike.

The CycleRax range of cycle parking products has been designed to cover an extensive spectrum of requirements – environmental, safety, security and economic. The shelters are designed to complement any location, providing an up to date, stylish solution to safe and secure storage and weather protection.

CycleRax offer an assortment of traditional stands, as well as modern alternatives, to suit a wide variety of uses. They are available in galvanized and powder coated finishes as well as stainless steel.

A wide variety of vertical and horizontal, space saving cycle racks are available to suit every cycle and location. They are designed and manufactured to meet today’s challenging environment. High security lockers, with a model to suit any installation, are available in vertical or horizontal versions with alternative locking systems, vision panels and materials.

CycleRax can also assist in the design of cycle parking areas to ensure optimal use of the space available as well as safe and secure parking for the peace of mind of cyclists.

For further information contact CycleRax Limited by email at service@cyclerax.com, telephone on 01709 382170, fax on 01709 480555, visit www.cyclerax.com or write to Thornbank, 38 Moorgate Road, Rotherham S60 5QZ. q

A bank of three cycle lockers at Rotherham’s Clifton Park Museum

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Sustainability in practice Green case study: Killhope – The North of England Lead Mining Museum n

During its heyday in the 1870s Park Level mine at Killhope was one of the richest lead mines in Britain. Now the site is a museum managed by Durham County Council and employing up to 35 staff, many part-time.

Helen Marritt, an administrative officer at the museum, is also its green champion. When she joined six years ago her personal interest in sustainability made her determined to green the museum. That role is now part of her job description and she emphasises the importance of getting staff involved: “The move to greener behaviour has been a real source of pride among staff and they’re also applying what they’ve learnt at home too.”

Kilhope now has: • A green policy, adapted from the council’s sustainability policy, containing ten practical • objectives for staff and visitors • Induction packs and training about sustainability for staff • Accreditation under the Green Tourism Business Scheme • A green team of staff members The museum encourages visitors to be greener with: • A ‘green discount’ of 10 per cent off admission for visitors who walk, cycle or use public • transport • A ‘lunch-box challenge’ to get school groups to think about the resources and waste • involved in their packed lunches – with a small prize for the school that generates the • least amount of non-recyclable waste • A carbon-offset scheme so visitors who arrive by car can contribute to the cost of • restoring local peatlands • A notice board at the entrance displaying the museum’s green policy and information on • its aims and achievements • A green newsletter for visitors The museum is also working on the social and economic aspects of sustainability. As well as employing local people, it helps young people acquire the skills needed to find employment. It uses local food for its café and sells local goods in the shop wherever possible – an approach, says Marritt, that sometimes has to be defended against the council’s procurement procedures.

Marritt’s advice to others is not to get complacent about achievements, to keep the pressure up and constantly look for ways to improve. q

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The Structure of

by Francis W Downing, AIFCA

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Paintings

Paintings were, and still are, generally constructed on either canvas or wood panel covered with a plaster-based ground layer, upon which the drawing and paint is applied. This might be followed with fine painted glazes. Later, a number of months after the painting was completed, it might have been given at least one coat of a resin based varnish, not necessarily by the artist. This varnish gave an enriched appearance to the colours of the dried paint and helped to protect the paint surface.

Unfortunately, the resin varnish used traditionally is prone to discolouration over the years, even to the extent of disguising or diffusing the true colours of the paint beneath. Added to this problem is the accumulation of dirt ingraining itself within the surface of the varnish.

With age, the paint and varnish develop fine crazing or cracks, not always visible to the naked eye. The canvas, being

hygroscopic, will absorb moisture from the air and dry out repeatedly, gradually shrinking over many years and sometimes causing the paint to crack more seriously. Dirt can become embedded between the cracks causing the paint to lift. This drying out process is more prominent in warm, centrally heated atmospheres.

The amount of subsequent flaking depends on the quality of the canvas and the preparation used in the construction of the ground layers but perhaps more particularly on the environmental conditions the painting is subjected to.

The first challenge for anyone charged with responsibility for a painting – be they owner, curator or conservator – is how to keep the painting in conducive conditions, that is to say, away from harmful sunlight, dust and damp, while also ensuring the atmosphere doesn’t become too dry.

Conservation We care for paintings from initial cleaning, repair and essential treatment to consolidation of flaking paint including lining and necessary retouching. Advice, examinations, conservation and restoration work is regularly carried out for Museums and Galleries, Stately Homes, Churches, Auction Houses, Local Authorities, Fine Art Insurers, Loss Adjusters and Private Clients.

Regardless of quality or value, no painting or paintwork is beyond consideration.

Photographs and detailed reports are prepared during the work, ensuring ethical guidelines are followed and recorded at every stage. All work is assessed, recorded and carried out to Museum Standards using high quality reversible and removable materials and up to date techniques. Where necessary, microscopic, x-ray, infra-red and chemical analysis are used to support examination prior to any work.

Francis Downing also works as a Forensic Conservator and investigator. With greater interest in collecting and investing in the art market, art theft and deception is on the increase. Theft of both small and large items has become prolific and organised.

Consequently support, help and advice needs to be available for investment, preservation, security and recovery of art when necessary.

Unfortunately forgery is not often noticed until too late and such deception is rarely regarded with sufficient interest to warrant tracing and exposing the original source. Signatures are altered, added or removed in attempts to increase value but eventually with significant loss to the investor.

Basic assessment and analytical work can generally be carried out on site, so a simple phone call will ensure a swift response and a subsequent report.

For a free, no obligation examination, assessment and estimate, whether at the studio or on site, contact Francis Downing, AIFCA, 01423 886962, email francisdowning@msn. com or visit the website www.francisdowning.com. q

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Finding conservators using n

A passion for museums and art is something shared by readers of Museums and Galleries and members of Icon, the Institute of Conservation. As the largest organisation for conservators and restorers in the UK, Icon is committed to helping everyone with an interest in the care and conservation of heritage. One of the ways this is achieved is by helping people find experienced and qualified conservators to work in museums and galleries. It can sometimes be difficult to find conservators working in certain niche disciplines, and even in better served disciplines such as stained glass it can be difficult to find someone with the conservation approach and skill required by organisations such as the Museums Association, English Heritage and the Heritage Lottery Fund.

The Conservation Register is a list of businesses which can be searched by the type of work to be undertaken and location. Its search functions are designed to produce a list of businesses showing those that are closest to the area you have searched at the top of the list. This means that you will always be able to find someone to help you. Each of the businesses included in the Register has had to provide extensive information in support of their listing, most of which is available to people searching the Register who can build up a good picture of the services on offer before getting in touch. This depth of information distinguishes the

Conservation Register from other directories. Requiring standards of professional accreditation, the Conservation Register also shows descriptions of work recently undertaken by each business. These project descriptions are regularly renewed and each has been referenced by the client for whom the work was undertaken.

At the very best of levels is the expert on the register. He or she sees the overall ‘picture’ and how individual actions fit within it, dealing with complex situations holistically and decision-making more confidently. They are able to take full responsibility for their own work and that of others where applicable. Fully acceptable standards are achieved routinely. Depth of understanding of discipline and area of practice are also natural assets.

The examples of work provide a fascinating insight into the work carried out by the Conservation Register businesses and range from the conservation of an arson damaged coat of arms, condition surveys of stained glass, through to cleaning of paintings and conservation of sculpture. Icon registered conservators receive completed references from clients. The comments received and the trust and relationships built up between client and conservator provide reassuring reading for existing and future customers.

Some fine examples of this work are featured in this conservation section of Museums and Galleries and the companies concerned will be more than happy to take your enquiries for further information.

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the Conservation Register of information on the care and conservation of different objects and materials. This helps individual owners and custodians look after a wide range of the items in their care. Amongst the subjects covered are carved stonework, stained glass and architectural ironwork. In each case the guidance outlines what can go wrong, what individuals can do to prevent damage and slow deterioration, and gives examples of instances in which it is best to consult a professional conservator. See www.conservationregister.com/caring. asp.

HLF Training Bursaries scheme

A portrait of Lady Stafford before and after restoration, by Francis W Downing As a registered charity, Icon provides the Conservation Register service free of charge. It is part of the work Icon undertakes to raise standards in conservation and raise awareness of the benefits of using accredited conservators. Icon also runs a series of work-based training schemes to increase the fund of skills and knowledge in conservation. To use the Conservation Register please visit: www. conservationregister.com.

Welcoming individuals and organisations from all backgrounds who identify with the conservation and preservation of our cultural heritage, Icon has a dynamic and enthusiastic membership of both professional conservators and people interested in conservation.

Membership groups are the main hub of the Institute’s activity and span specialist interests from stone and stained glass to textiles and metals. Icon now has in the region of 20 of these member groups all of which regularly run events and provide opportunities for people to meet and exchange ideas.

Speaking up for conservation Science and heritage, protecting and preserving our heritage, caring for our collections and the National Lottery are some of the topics on which Icon has submitted consultation responses and given evidence over the years. For conservation to flourish it is vitally important that public policies take account of its priorities, and that public funding flows towards its needs. Much conservation takes place within the public sector and a significant share of the work undertaken by independent conservators is commissioned either by public bodies or major national organisations such as The National Trust. Making the case for conservation is thus a key role for Icon to fulfil.

Professional accreditation Icon also works hard to raise standards in conservation and increase understanding of conservation amongst the wider public.

This is a rigorous peer review process through which conservators demonstrate that they have deep technical knowledge of their subject, significant experience and the ability to make sound and ethical judgements when presented with complex conservation problems.

Accredited conservators can be recognised by the letters ACR.

New ‘Care and conservation…’ guidance The Conservation Register website can not only put you in touch with conservators but, thanks to a grant from The Royal Commission for the Exhibition for 1851, it now also includes a range

Back in 2006, Icon was granted £1 million by the Heritage Lottery Fund towards the cost of delivering a new internship scheme in conservation. Up to 60 conservators have launched their careers through this route over four years - helping to address the shortage of conservation skills across the UK and increase the number of trained conservators and conservation scientists. The scheme offers new opportunities for those without conventional conservation training to enter the workforce. It also helps to bridge the gap between training and first job for new conservation graduates.

For further information on the full range of Icon activities and events, please visit www.icon.org.uk. q

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Maintaining and improving high standards

by SIMON PADFIELD FBAPCR of J H Cooke & Sons.

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When the obvious routes haven’t worked – personal contact, the recommendation of a colleague – where does an owner or custodian of easel paintings turn with confidence? It is possible to leave the weeding out of less suitable or qualified restorers to a longstanding institution with expert members.

The British Association of Paintings Conservator-Restorers (BAPCR) was founded in 1943 to ‘maintain and improve high standards in the training and practice of the profession’. Since then it has restricted even its most basic level of membership to practising restorers and for half a century has been evolving and improving the accreditation system for its Fellowship.

Due to the highly individual and complex character of each painting, applicants for Fellowship are expected to have seven years’ experience of full-time paintings conservation before they can apply.

This is to give time for them to have met with a large number of pictures, for it is through immersion in a continually changing stream of practical experiences that the deepest sort of understanding can be gained.

Unusually, candidates for Fellowship are still examined in person, in their workplaces, with the test pieces and attendant documentation laid out before them by specially selected Fellows from the BAPCR – that is, experienced paintings conservators.

Candidates are encouraged to show a wide range of problems within these test pictures and, at the very least, examples should appear of two important areas of difficulty. There should be some evidence that they have dealt successfully with a difficult cleaning problem – for example a hard intractable varnish and some areas of aged oil-paint retouchings – as well as a fairly damaged painting which should give an indication that a candidate can overcome the problems of a worn, cracked surface with some significant losses to complicated areas.

As the Fellowship test has evolved since the middle of the last century, candidates must now also show that they work in a straightforward and professional manner, whether relating to recordkeeping and health and safety, or security and insurance. In fact, the exam is now designed to cover all aspects of modern practice.

Fellows should be able to give a clear picture of what is required, what is possible, a timescale for the work and an estimate of all charges. A client has the further safeguard of the BAPCR in the background with the power to discipline Fellows in case of any dispute.

The corpus of Fellows the BAPCR has built up are thus capable of taking on the widest range of easel painting work and the names and contact details of Fellows nearby are regularly given to outside enquirers. Fellowship is also accepted as a high standard by other institutions. ICON accepts it as one of a group of qualifications that allow conservation practices to join the online database of practitioners, the Conservation Register.

Many eminent conservator-restorers have been, and are, Fellows including those in private practice who have worked for clients all over the world, heads of department in national museums and galleries and senior staff from training courses both here and abroad.

More generally, from the BAPCR’s point of view, Fellowship has also been an entrée to anyone wanting to help with the mechanics

of the association – Fellows can become examining members of the governing council as well as holding office, and are regularly heard as speakers at the BAPCR’s evening meetings in Bloomsbury. Through BAPCR’s activities – meetings, annual conferences, studio visits and of course our magazine The Picture Restorer – Fellows are able to sustain the CPD (continuing professional development) insisted on by all professional bodies.

Although working practices amongst Fellows can vary – sometimes depending on where and when they trained – this constant contact, a sort of melting-pot of ideas, is always available for members.

With this long-standing highly evolved accreditation system – run by practitioners who work in thriving private practices or gallery departments, and who, by their continuing membership of BAPCR form a coherent and forward-looking community – contacting the BAPCR is an excellent starting point for anyone wanting to commission conservation q

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Nelson’s Chair

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Furniture that is made partially of leather can often get a raw deal when it comes to its preservation.

While the wooden carcass will – hopefully!

– be placed in the hands of a qualified furniture conservator, the client may not be as aware of the necessity to have the leather cared for by equally qualified professionals.

Fortunately, Richard Noyce, Curator at the Royal Naval Museum at Portsmouth’s Historic Dockyard, knew who to contact when a very special piece of history was donated to the museum. He contacted The Leather Conservation Centre in Northampton.

The daybed used by Admiral Nelson, when he was onboard HMS Victory, arrived in a very sad state. The leather chair and stool had extensive areas of damage. One side had suffered from a treatment where the original leather had been removed. New, inappropriate leather had been attached to the side of the chair with tacks which were visible, as were the cut edges of the new leather. The original leather pieces had then been stuck down on to the new leather with an adhesive which was now hard and brittle and which had further damaged the original leather.

The cut edges of the new leather showed that a chrome tanned leather had been used, rather than a vegetable tanned leather as the original. However, the removal of this restoration may have caused considerable damage to the original leather. It was therefore decided to leave this side as it was and conserve the other side which was badly damaged with several loose pieces of leather and large areas of loss.

Yvette Fletcher, Head of Conservation and an Accredited Conservator at the Leather Conservation Centre carried out the work.

The challenge for Yvette was to reattach the numerous broken pieces of leather in their correct position. This involved detailed documentation and extensive tests to find the correct materials and methods. The materials had to give proper support to the original leather, infill areas of loss and make the damaged areas tone in visually with the rest of the chair. In this case, different treatments were needed for different parts of the chair.

“There were many pieces of leather that had broken away and had slipped down the side of the chair,” said Yvette. “These pieces were attached to the new archival quality, vegetable

tanned leather, which I had dyed. I then created a finish on the new leather that matched the original. Conservation grade, reversible adhesive was used to adhere the patches.

But first I had to be sure they were in the right place and correctly aligned – a bit like doing a jigsaw puzzle when all the pieces are black. “ The treatment has visually made the daybed look whole but has followed the ethics of conservation. More importantly, it has prevented further loss and damage to the original leather.

Conservation is often described as a race against time. The aim is to slow down the process of deterioration so that objects can be enjoyed and understood long into the future. At its simplest, this can mean ensuring objects are kept in the correct environment – temperature, humidity and light levels – but often it can mean extensive scientific examination and treatment.

Conservators aim to keep as much of the original as possible. Nothing is removed, unless it is causing damage, and new materials are only added to: • Support fragile areas of the original • To fill in areas that are lost (but would not be misinterpreted as part of the original) • To aid interpretation – for example a coffee mug with no handle may be seen as a vase Conservation is a science-based profession requiring an understanding of the materials that are used, how these materials deteriorate and the historic technology of the object’s manufacture. The use of chemicals and their interaction with the materials also has to be understood. But alongside this science is the ability to do the hands-on work, so that the treatment makes the object look whole.

Every project has to be seen as a unique problem. Even if two objects look the same, they may need very different treatments.

The words ‘restore’ and ‘restoration’ are often used incorrectly in the media because the media and the ‘antique experts’ (i.e. dealers) do not appreciate the major differences between conservation and restoration nor the extensive academic training conservation requires.

It is very rare that an object can be made to look brand new – often erroneously conveyed in the dreaded phrase ‘restored to its former glory’ – because the work involved would mean too much intervention to the original

Admiral Nelson’s Chair before...

during – realigning the leather fragments...

and after conservation.

material, and possible damage or removal of portions of the object. Also, too many guesses would have to be made as to original colour, shape, design – i.e. someone would be changing history.

The Leather Conservation Centre carries out treatments on a wide range of leather objects including books, fashion accessories, cars, carriages and architectural features. Their international client base includes museums, historic houses, corporations and private commissions. It is a major centre not only for conservation but also education and research.

They are located at University Campus, Boughton Green Road, Northampton NN2 7AN. Their website is www. leatherconservation.org. q

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A Victorian treasure finally preserved n

This Victorian masterpiece measuring 3m by 4.5m is one of the largest oil paintings in Manchester and, despite the best efforts of generations of restorers, it has languished unseen for over one hundred and fifty years – until now where it can be seen at Manchester Art Gallery.

‘The Sirens’ was exhibited at the Royal Academy of Art in 1837. It was bought unseen for £250 by Daniel Grant, a Mancunian cotton merchant.

Soon after, Grant gave the painting to his brother William, who in 1839 presented it to Manchester Art Gallery. Sadly the painting began to decay soon after it was completed due to Etty’s experimental painting techniques and he had to be recalled to repaint lost pieces that had fallen away. In 1857 it was exhibited in the Art Treasures of the United Kingdom at Old Trafford in Manchester and soon after was put into long term storage, as its condition was too poor for it to be displayed any longer.

Since then several attempts have been made to consolidate the painting to prevent further deterioration. In the 1980’s the painting was brought out of storage and cleared of discoloured varnishes and old restorations.

Due to Gallery commitments the project was put on hold and the painting was returned to storage. When conservation staff examined it in 2003, they realised that if nothing was done, Etty’s masterpiece would soon be beyond repair. Finally in 2005, with funding from the Esmee Fairburn Foundation and Axa Art Insurance, the campaign to rescue ‘The Sirens and Ulysses’ was launched.

Julia Dalzell ACR FBAPCR was employed by Manchester City Galleries to lead this ambitious conservation project, to conserve and stabilise the painting ready for its restoration phase that was to take place in the Gallery, also coinciding with the Art Treasures Exhibition in 2007.

“It was a project not for the faint hearted!” said Julia. “The painting was lying face down on the table having a 1930’s glue lining removed when I arrived. 13.5 square metres, that in itself took over a year to complete! It then had to be turned over before it could be re-lined, but paint and ground layers had become detached from the canvas support. A melinex envelope was created around it and with the air vacuumed out of the ‘parcel’ it was turned over. Timing of the project was crucial and had to be meticulously planned to fit in with the busy schedule of the Gallery”. q

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The conservation-restoration of furniture – how it all started

By MICHAEL BARRINGTON CEO BAFRA

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The British Antique Furniture Restorers’ Association was born at West Dean College, West Sussex in 1979 when students on a 12 month furniture restoration course resolved to address the damage being done to antique furniture by restorers in a fast growing antiques market.

Fortunately this ambition attracted the support of the British Antique Dealers Association (BADA) who were already sponsors of West Dean’s course. The teaching on that year’s course was excellent and carried out by a small team of experienced ‘restorers’. Two fundamental principles influenced the way the courses were designed – talent and experience.

At this point it is worth remembering that furniture and other restoration skills originated amongst ‘collectors’ in the early 18th Century.

The restoration trade had a very poor start and was predominantly carried out by cabinet makers or wood workers with little or no knowledge of the origin and surface finishes of the objects they worked on. The damaging fashion for ‘change of use’ developed at the same

time together with changes in decoration such as fixing short curtains along the bases of furniture to hide the legs – in the same way as women wore long skirts! Another later ‘fashion’ was the ebonising of show surfaces to mark public mourning of the deaths of Prince Albert and later Queen Victoria. A more modern form of furniture desecration is altering cabinet furniture to house the TV set.

Talent and Experience Unpopular today, but nevertheless tacitly recognised in the education world, is the idea that ‘talent is inborn and cannot be taught – it can only be developed or improved’. For conservation and restoration in any field, but particularly the ‘moveable heritage’ of which furniture forms a huge part, a natural affinity in hand skills is vital and without it a potential student will fail. People know very early in their lives whether they have natural hand skills and tend to develop related hobbies or activities such as model making, carpentry, pottery and needlework. Often these skills are accompanied by artistic talent of varying degree. Although hand skill development does not feature as strongly today as it did 30 years ago, determined students can usually get help and develop their natural skills from an early age.

With regard to ‘experience’, The West Dean course used to require

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entrants to take a practical assessment before being accepted and some of the tasks given, all woodwork, were very challenging. Candidates knew what they were facing and, if they had no experience in woodwork, they made sure that by the time of the assessment they had enough to meet the challenge. This process ensured that only talented and well motivated people joined and did not waste their own and their tutors’ time learning and teaching basic hand skills. That process went on for several years but was abandoned as the experience and qualities of prospective students changed. Britain shared that system with certainly Germany and maybe other countries, some of whom continued its use for longer.

No other teaching establishments in Britain, except perhaps for the old London College of Furniture, used this rigorous selection process and it soon became clear that our colleges needed all the students they could – to fund courses and pay for the best teacher-craftsmen – and so could not afford to ‘test’ course applicants. The result was, and still is, that many graduates leave without the essential natural hand skills.

In the late 1990s there were at least a dozen colleges in Britain running furniture restoration courses based on centrally set standards. Twelve of them became affiliated with BAFRA providing an important partnership for teaching standards and programmes. The NVQ system was not, and is still not, regarded by BAFRA as an adequate skills and experience marker. Sadly there are now only four colleges running these courses left in England and two in Scotland, although some private enterprises do run popular courses. A natural result has been that people seeking to join the profession are taking up quasi-apprenticeships with BAFRA Full Members. BAFRA has developed a high quality training scheme for its Associate Members looking towards accreditation.

From the very early days BAFRA has developed a rigorous assessment system for its Full (Accredited) Members. Often our system

Many projects entrusted to Full and Specialist members are very unusual. To list a few: An 18th Century Hurdy Gurdy (left), an Arts and Crafts Church Communion Table by W R Lethaby, a Hindu God’s Horse, The Master’s and Wardens’ Throne & Chairs from the United Grand Lodge of England (below), a disc musical box and The Grand Staircase in The Royal Institute of Great Britain

is referred to as being ‘too old fashioned’ but we are constantly told by the public, and indeed the museum community, not to lessen our standards but to strive to improve them. We have several other membership categories covering overseas, retired, student, graduate and college teaching members and also a longstanding and very supportive group of BAFRA Friends started by John Bly, our one-time Patron and a highly respected member of the antique furniture dealers’ trade.

What can our Members do?

One characteristic of BAFRA membership is the wide variety of ‘additional skills’ practised by Full Members and listed in our annual directory. The additional skills list is long and diverse covering skills such as keyboard instruments, textile conservation, marble, metalwork, upholstery, painting, graining, carving, gilding, religious artefacts, marquetry, oriental lacquer, japanning, barometers, clock work of many types and marine models. BAFRA also has several groups of Accredited Specialist Members who limit their work to areas such as mechanical music and carpet conservation. New specialisms related to furniture may be added as and when they arise and the assessment detail for each is confirmed and refined with the help of the first specialist in each area.

In the early 1980s BAFRA was invited to become the furniture and woodwork specialist section of the United Kingdom Institute for Conservation (UKIC) – now called The Institute for Conservation and a registered charity. For purely financial reasons arising from changes in Charity Law and the need to maintain control over our own finances we did not remain with ICON. BAFRA was not the only specialist section which took this step.

ICON’s Professional Accreditation for Conservator-Restorers (PACR) was in part designed by two BAFRA members and our Assessment Criteria are still accepted as equivalent to PACR. ICON owns and runs The Conservation Register – a large group of Accredited ConservatorRestorers in a range of skills – and most BAFRA Accredited Members feature on the Register.

There is a large amount of information on the BAFRA website www. bafra.org.uk including papers on various aspects of conservationrestoration, an interesting public forum and notes on BAFRA events. Calls to BAFRA Head Office 01305 854822 and email headoffice@bafra.org.uk are always welcomed. q

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