The Royal Oak Foundation Conservation Studio is the first of its kind in the National Trust, allowing visitors the unique opportunity to see conservators at work, working on objects from collections across the Trust. Find out what there is to see and do at this distinctive property, plus a bit more about the centuries-old building itself. It is also home to the National Trust Paint Sample Archive, a growing resource of over 5,000 historic paint samples that supports research, conservation, and training in heritage science.
Step inside a space where history is not just preserved, it’s revealed. At the Royal Oak Foundation Conservation Studio and Paint Sample Archive, see experts study and restore paintings, furniture, and decorative arts while uncovering the stories behind our collections and interiors. Whether you are fascinated by art, design or science, this first-of-its-kind resource blends innovation, craft and science, conserving heritage and sharing the secrets of our past.
When is the studio open?
The Royal Oak Foundation Conservation Studio is open to visitors on Wednesdays, Thursdays, Fridays and Saturday, 11am-4pm (except 26 December 2025 and 1 January 2026).
Combining old and new
Housed in a beautiful medieval barn, this state-of-the-art space is the only conservation studio at a National Trust property open to the public.
It’s a perfect mix of contemporary and historical; an airy, open-plan studio with exposed Kentish ragstone walls punctuated by the barn’s original narrow windows.
Entering the studio
The studio is accessed through the Brewhouse Café courtyard, you’ll enter a light-filled lobby, where a striking glass and metal staircase leads up to our conservation and research spaces. The first floor houses the Paint Sample Archive and Microscopy Centre, where science and art meet to unlock the secrets of National Trust collections and interiors.
The main conservation studio is on the second floor: an impressive 35-metre open-plan room with a soaring pitched roof, rebuilt to match the 15th century original destroyed by fire in 1887.
Our dedicated visitor space offers the opportunity to see the variety of objects that are here for conservation, including paintings, frames, furniture and ceramics, and observe the team of expert conservators carry out cleaning, analysis or repairs.
When the studio is open, volunteers are on-hand to answer any questions and share stories about objects from properties across the National Trust that are being conserved. Interactive displays give visitors the chance to explore the materials, tools and techniques used in the conservation work. Conservators use all of their senses in their duties, and other hands-on displays explain how all five senses are integral to working out treatment plans for objects.
Visiting Knole House and Park
The conservation studio is just one part of the history, art and nature you can immerse yourself in at the Knole estate.
For more details and information about visiting Knole and to find out what’s on, check out the details on their web page.
Find out about the work of our team at the Royal Oak Foundation Conservation Studio in Kent and how we help care for a large number of objects from properties all over the country.
Discover the history of this centuries-old building up to the present day, including the damaging fire of 1887 and its rebirth as the Royal Oak Foundation Conservation Studio.
