Pergamon Museum Management and Curawrshlp, Vol. 16, No. 3, pp. 309 318, 1997

© 1998 Elsevier Science Ltd. All right reserved Printed in Great Britain

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Professional Notes Conservation

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Conservation Studies at West Dean College

For over 26 years West Dean College, part of the Edward James Foundation, has provided training in conservation and restorat ion. Ceramics, fine metalwork, furniture and clocks, as well as books and manuscripts, are the five specialisms offered. Whereas most similar institutions offer one or perhaps two specialisms (eg. archaeological or paintings conservation), this wide range is unusual . The courses are free s tanding-- last ing either one or two years--and yet offer the possibility for exchanges of ideas and of teaching across boundaries.

Edward James (1907-1984) was a lively-minded, wealthy patron of the arts, born into the Edwardian age. His godfa ther was Edward VII. He cultivated and helped poets, musicians and above all artists. Betjeman, Stravin- sky, Rex Whistler, Dali, Magritte, are just a few of the creative spirits whose lives he touched. His patronage made him at one t ime the owner of the premier collection of Surrealist Art in Europe. In his later years he built in the Mexican jungle an architectural complex of coloured Surrealist concrete structures, a small wonder of the world.

His inherited and acquired wealth, and the 6,000-acre West Dean Estate just north of Chichester, Sussex, were all dedicated to the Foundat ion , an educat ional charitable t rust which perpetuates James's interests in

conservation and in the arts, crafts, music and gardens. In addition to the five conserva t ion d ip loma courses, there are courses in making early str inged musical ins t ruments and tapestry weaving. Quite separately, the College operates about 400 adult short courses each year devoted to about 100 topics, from stone carving, blacksmith- ing and sculptural ceramics to silk paint- ing, cal l igraphy and botanical illustration. As well as weekend courses in music performance, there are sum- rner schools and masterclasses includ- ing the Chilingirian String Quartet and the Classical Guitar Festival of Great Britain, annual events in the international music calendar.

The diploma courses are validated at post-graduate level by the University of Sussex. They are designed for students who bring relevant experience and qualifications. A pre-requisite for furniture studies would be a high order of skills in cabinet-making; for books and manuscripts a first degree or similar in paper conservation; for metalwork a qualification in jewellery or conserva- tion; and for all courses demonstrable practical skills. The training programmes are more intensive than elsewhere. This is made possible by the breadth and depth of the teaching. The tutors--al l practising professionals-- are on duty almost all of every work- ing day, and students have access to the

310 Professional Notes

West Dean College, West Sussex, seen from the park (photo: West Dean College).

workshops and studios from 7 am to 10 pm seven days a week. The staff:stu-- dent ratio is except ional ly good. Because most students live on site, they take full advantage of these facilities. The students, most ly in their early twenties and about half from overseas, are highly motivated, having already completed prior training and proved themselves against high standards of entry, and often having sacrificed a great deal to find their fees. Nearly all West Dean conservation-restoration students have found employment in that field immediately or not long after their graduation, many of them in museums.

Since the Founda t ion is a private trust, these courses have developed with a degree of independence and freedom from unnecessary bureaucracy which

have allowed them to l%cus on provid- ing intensive training of quality, with a strong emphasis on practical skills. The balance between theoretical knowledge and practical skills is determined by the needs of the profession and the require- ments of future employers and ensures that students emerge with a high level of competence, able immediately I:o tackle the day- to -day tasks which museums and clients require of them.

West Dean has its feet firmly placed in both the museum world and that of private antiques collectors. The wide range of artefacts on which students work derive from national and regional museums, dealers, private individuals and national bodies. Students on four of the courses are assessed at the end of each term, and finally, in accordance

Professional Notes

with University of Sussex criteria, by a panel which normal ly includes a museum conservator, a museum cura- tor, a private sector conservator and a dealer, as well as the tutor(s). These panels also serve as advisory commit- tees. Their museum membership cur- rently includes staff of the British Museum, the Victoria & Albert Museum and the Science Museum. The private sector connection derives from a long relationship with the British Antique Dealers' Association, a number of whose members also serve on or chair the assessment/advisory panels. Students on the books course are assessed annually by a leading special- ist conservator, currently Tony Caines of the Library Conservation Labora- tory of Trinity College, Dublin.

The programme is offered within the context of a large and elegant early 19th century flint mansion (architect: James Wyatt), much transformed and lav- ishly furnished by the James family from 1892 onwards. The house, which is maintained to high standards, offers fine examples of furniture and fittings to the conservation students, as well as practical examples of environmental problems and their control. The service quarters have been transformed over the years to a range of seven purpose- designed, well equipped studios.

The unique blend of sources and influ- ences at West Dean--public and private sector, museum and dealers--ensures that the ethical standpoint is kept constantly under review. The British approach to the preservation of objects invariably involves some restoration, and

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they are taught to explore the full range of possible conservation-restoration interventions with the client before selecting a course of action in the light of the client's wishes, the future context of the artefact and the ethical norms of the profession. Even towards the end of a century of scientific conservation, debate of the ethical issues is by no means complete, whether in the United Kingdom or elsewhere, and nowhere is it more appropriate to hold that debate than among the West Dean community where students have to be educated and trained both to earn their living and to respect the qualities for which artefacts are treasured.

Conservation studies at West Dean continue to evolve. In 1998 Edward James's interest in architecture will be reflected as a new series of Building Conservat ion Masterclasses is established, in collaboration with the Weald & Downland Open Air Museum- -a close neighbour of the Foundation--and with English Herit- age who initiated this programme of practical training at Fort Brockhurst in 1994 In addition, with the support of the Radcliffe Trust, it is intended to run a series of courses for professional conservators, enabling them to develop and update their skills during short but intensive periods of residential study.

Further information may be obtained from West Dean College, West Dean, Chichester, West Sussex PO18 OQZ, UK.

DAVID LEIGH