Looking after what we’ve got
We take many precautions in the fight to preserve our collection and our dedicated volunteers are integral in that effort.
You will notice as you enter George Saunders’ shop, that the windows are covered and the blinds are down. That is a way of limiting how much light gets in the room. You may also notice little squares of cardboard with blue pieces of cloth in them. These stay in one place through the year and are sent off at the end of that year. This then tells us how much damage is being done to the fabric in that spot.
To combat any damage done by moths, there are regular moth counts. At points throughout the houses we have moth traps which attract the moths and every month we count how many moths have been caught. This gives us an idea of the level of moth activity and we can act accordingly.
Our conservation team work hard every Monday but particularly during our closed periods of January and one week in September to ensure the collection lasts.
Not Just Clothes
The items in the George Saunders collection are the only items that are indigenous to the property and therefore should not be touched. However, we do have lots of other items in our other three houses that aren’t from the Back to Backs that can be handled.
As the items have been donated over the years and taken from other collections, they are what are known as a ‘sacrificial collection’ meaning that people can touch them and get a real feel for the items. Objects from our sacrificial collection include beds, shoes, cutlery, coins, tools and soap (to name just a few) and it’s the fact you can interact with those items that adds to the Back to Backs being one of the more unique properties within the National Trust.
