Discover how staff, volunteers and specialist contractors work together at East Riddlesden Hall to carry out important conservation and cleaning throughout the year. Find out what it takes to keep the house and collection in excellent condition and preserved for future generations to enjoy too.
Shifting the dust
Throughout the year, members of the East Riddlesden Hall team squeeze behind furniture, climb up ladders and reach under beds to remove dust from all the nooks and crannies.
Dust builds up quickly in a house like East Riddlesden Hall and it can cause damage by general soiling or by speeding up chemical processes that lead to material breakdown. We always dust with a dry cloth or fine horsehair brush and we never use polish as this leaves a film on the surface of the object.
Every object in the collection gets personal attention and we check its condition against our care plan records to make sure that no damage has been done in the past year.
Caring for the floor
The wooden floors in the house suffer from wear and tear from the 38,000 pairs of shoes that tread the floorboards each year. We try to stop as much gravel and dirt from coming into the house as possible, by using coir mats at the entrance. Research has shown that we need to use 3 metres of this to catch all the dirt.
Every morning we dry mop the floors to remove dust and dirt from the previous day. Doing this in the morning allows for the dust to settle overnight. Each winter we apply traffic wax to the boards to keep them in great condition.
The story of the hall is still being uncovered. As part of our ongoing work, we are updating displays and interpretation throughout the building to share more of the people, events and stories that shaped its history.
Recent updates to the Kitchen Chamber, Maids' Chamber and His Own Parlour explore the lives of former residents and the remarkable local brothers who rescued the hall from demolition.
Coming soon, you'll be able to discover more about the Murgatroyd family, who built the hall as we know it today. Their story includes financial hardship, links to the English Civil War, and the consequences of supporting the losing side in a turbulent period of history.
Our recent work
Discover some of the recent work completed to help care for the collection.
The largest item in our collection is the stunning Flemish tapestry in the Great Hall. Dated from around the 1600's, it is believed to show a scene from the life of Alexander the Great. This was a popular subject for Flemish artists at the time.
Made with rich wool and vibrant silk, this tapestry need specialist care to keep it in good condition. During 2022 it was removed from the wall and carefully cleaned by a Textile Conservator with a specialist conservation vacuum cleaner. Several undetectable stitches were sewn into places where the thread was weakening.
This care brought the beautiful colours and details of the tapestry to life, and will keep it safe for future generations.
This was the first step of reinterpreting the hall and collection here at East Riddlesden Hall.
The cross fragments, dating from the 8th or 9th century were found on the site 30 years apart. One section was uncovered in 1959 during driveway renovations while another was found in a dry stone wall.
The original stand was precarious, the new stand ensures it's safety and the built in lighting showcases the intricate swirls and interlaced patterns. The cross fragments are on display in the Great Hall.
Over the years several cracks appeared in the ornate Jacobean plasterwork ceilings in the Dining Room and His Own Parlour. After four years of fundraising, we were able to commission a survey to establish the cause of the cracks. The results of the survey showed that work needed to be carried out to strengthen the ceilings. This job was too specialised for us to manage alone, so we enlisted the help of Skillingtons, one of the UK's leading building conservation, repair, and restoration companies. The floorboards in the bedrooms above the two ceilings were lifted to allow Skillingtons to access the ceilings below. Stainless steel straps were attached between the top of the plaster and the joist above to prevent further cracking.
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Thank you
With your ongoing support, we're able to continue our vital conservation work. Thank you for helping to protect these special places.
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Uncover the story of this 17th-century manor house and how each of its owners left their mark, then learn how two brothers stepped in to save it from demolition in the 1930s.
Explore this homely 17th-century manor house and discover original oak panelling, decorative ceilings and period furnishings, then learn of the estate's agricultural past in the Great Barn.
Enjoy the peace and quiet of this intimate Yorkshire garden. Take a stroll through the borders and experience the sights and smells of spring at East Riddlesden Hall. Find out more about the gardens here.
We believe that nature, beauty and history are for everyone. That’s why we’re supporting wildlife, protecting historic sites and more. Find out about our work.
