How much did it cost?
Saltram has a budget of £15,000 a year for collection conservation. This is largely spent on preventative care and surveys. In 2017/18 the total sum of conservation work needed in the Saloon was £202,000 for the conservation of the carpet and £90,000 for the ceiling.
Saltram’s Saloon carpet was allocated £153,000, through the National Trust’s ‘Fabric of the nation’ project, but we needed to find additional sources of income. Established in 1955, The Wolfson Foundation is an independent charity that awards grants to support and promote excellence in the fields of science, health, education and the arts and humanities. They have been long term supporters of the National Trust and awarded Saltram £110,000.
Individual donors sometimes offer money for specific collections and we are thankful for one such individual who donated £900 for interior Robert Adam projects.
The work continues...
The National Trust’s efforts to make showpiece rooms like the Saloon more accessible continues and still to be completed is the production of a high quality reproduction of the Axminster carpet. This will allow a choice of full or partial carpet protection and allow greater access for visitors in to the Saloon.