Preventative conservation
Light can be a real destroyer, fading fabrics and paintings, especially watercolours. Monitoring light levels is one of the ways we can protect the collection, and is a major undertaking. Lanhydrock’s windows are fitted with conservation blinds which are adjusted throughout the day according to how sunny it is in each room.
Annual levels of light are measured with little blue wool squares (called dosimeters) which you can see in the rooms around the house, placed on vulnerable items.
Winter deep cleaning
In the winter months the house is ‘put to bed’ and closed for visitors except for special events. While the house sleeps, the conservation team are hard at work deep cleaning.
Museum vacuum cleaners are used for carpets, curtains and every nook and cranny around Lanhydrock, including all of its intricate plasterwork. The brass and silver ware are polished to perfection, books are brushed clean and costumes are condition checked.
