Building conservation

It's rare for a conservation project to take 15 years. Which is why the work we carried out at Ightham Mote in Kent is often called our biggest conservation project to date.

Explore Quarry Bank, once the site of one of the largest cotton manufacturing businesses in Britain. In summer 2018, after a four year transformation project, the historic cotton mill reopened. You can now explore the mill owners’ home, a workers’ cottage, an 19th-century glasshouse as well as the mill itself.

Brand new for 2018, embark on an atmospheric journey, deep into the basement spaces at Clandon Park, reopened for the first time since a devastating fire in 2015.

A rare 15th century tapestry – the oldest in our care – is returning to display at Montacute House in Somerset after spending four years away for conservation. The Tournai tapestry travelled to Belgium for a specialist wet clean to remove centuries of dirt and spent time at our Textile Conservation Studio in Norfolk. It took nearly 1,300 hours of work by skilled conservators. Learn more about the conservation and mysterious history of this special tapestry.

Images from the archive at Sutton Hoo, Suffolk, have been digitised in their entirety for the first time. Find out more about the digitisation work carried out on archive images taken at the time of the excavation of the Great Ship Burial by Mercie Lack and Barbara Wagstaff, and how you can explore them today. The images, captured in 1939, helped record this fascinating moment of discovery.

Caring for hundreds of historic houses and gardens requires constant effort to make sure everything stays in tip top condition. Find out about the latest projects and how you can help to keep your favourite places special forever.

Protection and preservation are at the heart of conservation. These six principles guide our work, helping us uncover the secrets of the past and bring history to life for the enjoyment of present and future generations.

Continuing our successful collaborations with Little Greene, we introduce their latest wallpaper range 'National Trust Papers II'. Inspired by original patterns from seven of our historic houses, these wallpapers nod to the traditional methods and materials from which they were originally crafted. A contribution from every sale helps us care for nature, beauty and history. Explore the collection on Little Greene's website.

Made using traditional techniques and patterns designed by modern artists, this collection of fabrics celebrates nature and heritage conservation. Each design is inspired by places and landscapes in our care, and draws on original documents from Sanderson's archive. A contribution of the sales will go back into caring for nature, beauty and history. Discover the collection on Sanderson's website.