Conservation in Action
Taking place on May 9, June 13, July 11, August 8 & September 12.
From light damage to pests, dust to humidity, many things can damage our collection. As part of your visit to the Manor, find out how we care for our furniture, ceramics and artwork through our preventative conservation measures.
Light
The most difficult threat to the collection, too much and it does perminant irriversable damage, too little and no one can see the collection. So how do we get the balance right?
Pests
We've all heard of deathwatch beetle and woodworm, but what do they actually do? And what else is feasting on our collection?
Furniture
There's nothing quite like having an antique piece or two to give a room the air of age. But how do you look after 400 year old wood and what it the time to stop using an item of furniture?
Ceramics
From the shimmering red lustre of William De Morgan's bowls to the simple cup and saucer in the servants' hall ceramics have always been an important part of any household. Impervious to light and water, yet very fragile when dropped, find out why picking up a cup can be harder than you think.
Works on paper
With so many sketches and watercolours works on paper make up a large part of our collection at Wightwick. But paper is very fragile, it suffers from light, heat and pest. What can we do to protect it?
Preventative conservation
From the moment anything is made it is slowly deteriorating. We work really hard to slow down the rate of decay. Find out why humidity is more important than warmth, and how light is like a microwave oven.
