Conservation Week at Knole: Monday 7 - Sunday 13 September 2026
During Conservation Week you can see the amazing work that goes on to care for Knole's collection in the showrooms alongside specialist conservation in the Royal Oak Foundation Conservation Studio
Conservation Week in the showrooms
The Collections and House team will be working throughout the showrooms, demonstrating how they clean and conserve the historic building and its large collection of objects. Chat to the team and learn how they care for chairs that once belonged to King James I and floorboards that have witnessed 400 years of visitors to Knole. Throughout the week, select items of furniture will be opened to reveal hidden details that aren’t usually on view to visitors, these include secret drawers, long lost notes, and historic inventory stamps.
Monday 7 to Friday 11 September: ‘Conservation Station’
Meet the Collections and House team in the Great Hall, where they will be talking to visitors about their roles, collections care processes, and displaying some of the tools and equipment that they use.
Monday 7 to Friday 11 September: Collections and House Conservation Talks – New for 2026
At 12pm and 2pm, join a member of the Collections and House team in the Great Hall to learn about their role as a preventative conservator at Knole. The talk will explain the routine tasks which the team undertakes, the tools that the team use, and how their work prevents the deterioration of Knole’s diverse, historic collection.
Monday 7 to Friday 11 September: Leicester Gallery floor work
The floorboards in the Leicester Gallery date back to the early 1600s, when Knole was renovated by Thomas Sackville. Although once exotic and new for the age, these pine timbers have not aged as well as some of Knole’s other floors. The Collections & House team will therefore be using specialist methods to consolidate the original floor surface, helping to keep them stable for many more years to come. To achieve this, the team will be injecting the pine floorboards with Paraloid – an acrylic resin which is frequently used as a consolidatory adhesive in conservation. Often this work is done when the showrooms are closed, so this is an opportunity to see the process and chat to the team as they work.
Monday 7 and Friday 11 September: Conservation of the X-Frame Chair in the Leicester Gallery – Nicola Shreeve
In the Leicester Gallery, see the Royal Oak Foundation conservation Studio’s Lead Conservator for Decorative Arts, Nicola Shreeve, as she consolidates the textile on one of Knole’s early 17th century X-Frame chairs.
Portraits and furniture in Leicester Gallery at Knole
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Conservation Week in the Royal Oak Foundation Conservation Studio
Throughout the week between 1.30 and 2.30pm, conservators from the Royal Oak Foundation Conservation Studio will be hosting a series of talks relating to their work and particular objects of interest. Come along, ask questions, and uncover the stories that help bring historic objects and buildings to life.
Talks will be taking place in the entrance to the studio on the second-floor.
Wednesday 9 September - ‘Revealing Gainsborough: The Conservation Journey of Two Petworth Paintings – Anna Vesaluoma and Sarah Maisey
Join painting conservators Anna Vesaluoma and Sarah Maisey for a look at the conservation of two paintings by Sir Thomas Gainsborough, from the National Trust’s collection at Petworth House. Close-up examination of the artworks will reveal how conservation can uncover hidden details about an artist’s techniques, working methods and creative processes. Discover the different challenges presented by each painting and learn what their treatments have revealed about one of Britain’s most celebrated portrait and landscape painters.
Thursday 10 September - ‘The Science of Arts: The Newly Created National Trust Paint Sample Archive at the Royal Oak Foundation Conservation Studio’ – Josh Crowe
Join paintings conservator Josh Crowe to find out more about the National Trust’s newly created Paint Sample Archive at the Royal Oak Foundation Conservation Studio, ahead of its official launch in 2027. Discover how this unique resource is being brought to life, from locating and cataloguing thousands of historic paint samples and records, to creating a specialist research facility for their examination. Learn how these tiny fragments of paint can reveal extraordinary insights into artists’ materials, techniques and the history of some of the National Trust’s most treasured artworks.
Friday 11 September - ‘From Ivory to Ebony, the Conservation of Remarkable Historic Furniture: A Lanhydrock Antwerp Cabinet and Knole’s Ivory Chair’ – Abi Tudor and Maria Sanchez
Join furniture conservators Abi Tudor and Maria Sanchez to explore two furniture conservation projects from the National Trust’s collection: an Antwerp cabinet from Lanhydrock and an ivory chair from Knole. Discover why these objects are far more than just furniture, as they reveal stories of craftsmanship, collecting, and status. Visitors will have the opportunity to see both objects up close and learn about the different conservation challenges they present – from delicate decorative surfaces to structural treatments.
Saturday 12 September - ‘Preserving Social History Collections: Conservation Projects from Arlington Court and Clandon Park’
Join objects conservator Felicity Bolton for a view of some social history objects from across the National Trust. Felicity will be treating Arlington Court’s intricate ship models and fragile ceramics from Clandon, these being previously damaged during a fire in 2015. Discover how conservation and technical investigation can reveal insights into an object’s materials, deterioration, and craftsmanship. Explore the challenges of preserving these objects for future generations.
Explore Knole's showrooms to see one of the rarest and most well-preserved collections of Royal Stuart furniture, paintings, objects and textiles – on show since 1605.
Knole is home to some of the last surviving 17th-century furniture from Whitehall and Hampton Court Palaces, among the most expensive status objects of their time.
