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Manor house conservation
There are many different aspects of caring for a 600-year-old manor house. A dedicated team of staff and volunteers work year-round to conserve and maintain the condition of the house and keep it preserved for future generations. From daily checks to big repair projects, find out more about how we care for the manor house and its collection at Brockhampton.
Caring for the Manor House
Daily, the house is kept as clean and dust-free as possible. A 600-year-old house means there's a lot of dust, so the team do daily dust sweeps and floor checks to keep on top of the manor's cleanliness.
Other cleaning duties such as cleaning and auditing paintings take place at less regular intervals, usually seasonally. It's important that the team check regularly for woodworm and moths too as infestations can cause irreversible damage, very quickly.
Every part of the manor house must be scrutinised and checked regularly. The team fill in log sheets when they clean and then report any potential problems as soon as they arise.
Surveys and monitoring are carried out regularly. Surveys might look at structural features, such as the roof, or monitor smaller activities such as recording light levels; all take an active role in securing the future of the manor, keeping it preserved as it is and avoiding any deterioration.
The team always restore items and features in such a way to keep them as close to the original as possible. This involves following traditional methods and techniques and ultimately avoiding the use of modern materials where possible, which could affect the authenticity and look of the house.
Co-habiting with bats
Several species of bat use the manor house at Brockhampton as a roosting site.
All bat species, their breeding sites and resting places are fully protected by law. Like the vulnerable historic artefacts in the collection, bats are also under threat, so the team must take great care not to disturb them.
The impact of co-habiting with bats was particularly brought to the team’s attention in September 2020 when a hatchment fell off the wall in the Great Hall. Having been rehung some months before with extra strong chain it was initially a mystery as to what had caused the chain to fail.
On closer inspection with a raking light, the back of the painting and surrounding wall were covered in bat urine (despite the use of covers). The broken brass chain had cracks in multiple places, with green spotting displaying evidence of damage and disfiguration to the brass.
Bat urine was thought to be the most likely cause. It contains 70% urea, which dries to form ammonia. This strongly alkaline substance is chemically aggressive and can lead to staining and damage, hence why the brass chain failed.
The team now take additional measures to protect the collection items by covering them with Tyvek covers. This is because bat guano and urine have a high concentration of uric and other acids, meaning that they are extremely corrosive. When there is repeated contact with surfaces such as metals and wood over an extended period, bat urine can cause deterioration.
Limewashing the manor house
Brockhampton manor is treated with lime wash. This is what gives it that distinctive white layer on the beams. Visitors often ask why the timbers aren't painted "traditionally". However, lime washing is the truly traditional treatment, as this method is what was used during the Medieval period.
The black and white timber framed buildings did not become popular until Victorian times, when people decided that they could improve upon the "old" style. To achieve the new look, they coated the beams with black emulsion, oil-based paints, or even tar. Some believed it would protect the wood from the elements, as well as giving a flashy new aesthetic.
However, that layer of tar on the outer surface of the wood only meant that the water had no way out. The wood couldn't breathe. This forced all the moisture inwards, causing rotting in the middle of the beams.
So, when the National Trust learned this, we decided the best course of action for conservation was to revert to the Medieval method of limewashing. Not only does it accurately reflect the authentic aesthetic of the building, but it also repels water while remaining breathable, preserves against harmful pollutants, and prevents pest infestations.
Over time the wash wears down due to weathering, revealing the oak beams and leaving them a slightly silvery colour. As this occurs, we repeat the limewash process - aiming to complete this work on a rotation of every five years.