When the Lacock Abbey collection came into the ownership of the National Trust at the end of 2009, it comprised over 15,000 items. At the time that the collection was acquired, its full extent was largely unknown and the property team have been gradually cataloguing items and developing a plan to deal with a huge conservation backlog ever since.
Through this work, it was found that within the collection we held over 2,500 watercolours, painted largely by William Henry Fox Talbot’s wife and children. The paintings are of an exceptionally high quality and provide an insight into the lives of the family, the time that they lived and their travels across the world. Unfortunately many of the paintings are in poor condition and are in urgent need of conservation.
