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Don’t be brash with your brass!
When it comes to caring for historic metalwork, less is very often more. Over-zealous cleaning and sometimes (dare-I-say-it) scrubbing, can lead to loss of carved detail in decorative metalwork. This can is undesirable when it comes to commemorative floor-brasses or plates, amongst other things. Inscriptions and dedications can be lost forever, disassociating the object from its history and ultimately losing its significance. In addition, excess polishing or waxing can lead to built-up residues on the metalwork. While the build up of residue is unsightly, it can also be damaging to the metal itself and cause long-term corrosion problems where moisture has been trapped. With this post I will briefly explain the…
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Radiant Roundels: working wonders with glass, paint and light
Roundels are small glass wonders which display detailed draughtsmanship and rich subject matter. They use light as the main medium for enriching an interior and are a delight to behold in any setting. Over the years I have been lucky enough to work closely with collections of these artworks and help preserve them for future generations. Netherlandish-style stained glass roundels are different from regular stained glass windows or panels. While stained glass windows usually use the whole space of the window, multiple pieces of glass and sometimes a building-wide scheme to create scenes, tell stories and depict figures within an architectural framework, roundels have a whole scene depicted on one piece…
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‘But it’s only a jumble of fragments!’ – Investigating one stained glass panel
Not worthy of attention? Some stained glass panels and whole windows are dismissed because they have no clear subject matter, are a jumbled mess and are difficult to date. In this post I discover that a small, jumbled and confused stained glass panel can tell an important story about its history and interesting science-y facts about its composition and degradation. The panel pictured comes from the church of St. Peter’s in Barton-upon-Humber and is one I worked on as a portfolio project for my degree. It has a chequered history which I enjoyed piecing together – and is certainly worthy of attention! The Task To investigate the history and significance…
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Redisplaying the Houfe Memorial Chairs
In a damp cupboard in a little old North Yorkshire church, sat two dusty chairs… In 2015 we received a letter expressing deep concern about the whereabouts of a pair of chairs which had been donated by an ancestor of the letter writer. She had been to Allerton Mauleverer church and not seen the chairs. She wanted to know where they were! In some confusion I set about their discovery. The wooden chairs in question were made and presented to the church by ‘M.E.A. Houfe’, in memory of her mother and father, in 1902. They have beautifully carved backs, with intricate patterns and details of birds. The Houfe memorial…
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Conservation cleaning – Frank Green’s riding whip
Imagine the delight of Treasurer’s House staff and volunteers when Frank Green’s riding whip turned up in an antique shop! It was clear that this was Frank’s whip because it had his name and the name Treasurer’s House inscribed in the metalwork. The whip was quickly purchased and is now on display in the house. – A section of the metalwork where the name “Frank Green” is partially visible. Frank Green of Treasurer’s house was the man behind the unusual National Trust building we know and love today. He was an eccentric man, prone to OCD tendencies particularly when he placed studs in the floor outlining where the furniture whould…
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CCT Chattels project for the North
Cataloguing and describing all artefacts, furnishings and fittings in a historic church is no quick job! Many churches are hundreds of years old and have gathered monuments, donations of books and all kinds of things, from candlesticks to old tablecloths throughout the centuries. Trying to pin point a creator, date of creation or even vague provenance for these things is hard work and often feels like a stab in the dark, due to lack of documentation and knowledge. The Churches Conservation Trust has over 350 churches across England and is looking to create an up-to-date and consistent inventory for all the Chattels (including furniture and fittings) across the entirety of…
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Decorative Wooden Bannister
The staircase at Goddards House was designed by architect Walter Brierly in the Arts and Crafts style. It is wooden and has a highly decorative banister, complete with finials, which, over the one hundred years of use, has accumulated a deep layer of dirt. This grime is the consequence of various hands using the banister for support and dust settling on it. Although the dirt itself is not harming the wood or causing it to deteriorate, on hot days when the sun shines through the window the surface of the banisters becomes very sticky. This is uncomfortable for visitors to the site who touch the banisters and can attract microorganisms…
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Rockingham Vases
Goddards House and Gardens, located on Tadcaster road in York, is a National Trust property which was once home to a famous family of confectioners: the Terrys. The three Rockingham vases date from between 1830-1842 and were manufactured by the internationally renowned company Rockingham Pottery, located in Swinton near Rotherham. In the group there are two small vases and one larger one, all round with floral decoration, gilding and blue enamel work. They are on display in the large drawing room, along with other display items, such as chocolate boxes, photographs and more pottery. History The factory was located in Swinton, in the West Riding of Yorkshire, a few miles…
