Winter conservation work
Vita’s Writing Room in the Tower has been under going some changes recently. Since the Garden closed to visitors back in November, the process of ‘Putting the House to bed’ has been in full flow. Firstly concentrating on the Library, which has been shut up tight against the damp weather coming in from the garden. We've been working hard to clean, assess and protect the collection that's kept there.
The furniture is covered with custom made dustsheets after the woodwork has been dusted with conservation brushes, textiles hoovered and if needed the wood waxed. Once dusted most objects will be covered with acid-free tissue paper hats, to avoid any further dust settling. This dust can be abrasive to many of our surfaces and has the potential to cause damage. Carpets are rolled to relax their pile, wooden floors are buffed and metalwork cleaned. Particular attention will be made to keeping the room as dark as possible, as UV light can irreversibly change the surface of objects, and we will also monitor relative humidity.