katy lithgow session

Katy Lithgow, Head Conservator

For the Interns Networking day Friday November 8 2013, Heelis

Rehanging the Gideons tapestries in the Long Gallery at Hardwick Hall, in front of the press and the public

Agenda

– introductions– what do I do and how did I get here– what does collections conservation mean

at the centre, in the consultancy and the properties

–what is a conservator’s career path (all the above c.10 mins each)

–Discussion (c.20 mins or take questions during presentation)

IntroductionsTom Hickman Conservation Assistant Intern Basildon Park

Victoria Hemmingway Conservation Assistant Intern Basildon Park

Eden Jackson Conservation Assistant Intern Basildon Park

Sarah Westbury Conservation Assistant Intern Basildon Park

Emily Murdoch Internship Conservation Assistant Polesden Lacey

Natalie Brown Internship Conservation Assistant Polesden Lacey

Claire McQuillan Internship Conservation Assistant Polesden Lacey

Rebecca Unsworth Collections and Engagement Intern Saltram

Emily Turner Library Assistant interns Allan Bank

Carola Bosi Library Assistant interns Allan Bank

Charlotte Banks Media and External Affairs Intern Heelis

Mary Cook Video strategy Heelis

Rhiannon Budden Engagement & Conservation Attingham Park

Michael Joy Engagement & Conservation Attingham Park

What do I do and how did I get here

Red House, Bexleyheath, 1859-60 by Philip Webb for William Morris

Drawing Room - Rossetti? Burne Jones?

BedroomCreation myths….

Elizabeth Siddall?Dante Gabriel Rossetti? And…?

Hollambys’ cupboard before removal of lining

My role:

• Head of profession - support professional conservators’ CPD

• External advocacy• Set and oversee standards of

preventive and remedial conservation• Provide expert advice and

policy/guidance – strategic (priorities, how conservators do their work) and technical

Professional standards Professional judgement and ethics (J&E)

1. Assessment of cultural heritageassessing and reporting on condition, environment and threats, assessing risks, identifying any problems to be solved.

2. Conservation options and strategiesidentifying and evaluating options; negotiating courses of action for conservation measures.

3. Conservation measuresadvising on, developing policy for and implementing conservation measures; ensuring high standards are maintained; planning to minimise the effects of disasters and emergencies; maintaining conservation records; advising on aftercare.

4. Organisation and managementmanaging projects and workflow; client/internal and external relations; health and safety; security; records and reports; communication.

5. Professional development

i. understanding principles and practiceii. conversance with guidelinesiii. understanding the wider contexts of

conservationiv. critical thinking, analysis and synthesis v. openness to alternative methods and

approachesvi. understanding the ethical basis of the

professionvii. observing code of ethics and practiceviii.observing legal requirementsix. responsibility for the care of cultural

heritagex. responsible and ethical dealings with

othersxi. respect for the cultural, historic and

spiritual context of objectsxii. handling value-conflicts and ethical

dilemmasxiii.understanding and acting within the limits

of own knowledge and competence® Collective Trade Mark of PACRAccredited Conservator-Restorer

Preventive Conservation

1. Physical Forces2. Thieves and Vandals3. Dissociation4. Fire5. Water6. Pests7. Pollutants (dust, chemical)8. Light (UV, IR – sunlight)9. Incorrect Temperature10.Incorrect Relative Humidity

Petworth Tijou Screen

Remedial Conservation

– Inventory approaching 1million records

– No of top priority projects 73 i.e. less than 0.01% of the collection

– Total value of work £5.5m, of which

– £3.67m are textile conservation projects, of which

– £1.65m textiles from Hardwick – £562k textiles from Knole– Total backlog c.£75 million

National priority no.

CCP project

no

Project name – National List

Material Property Region Funding request

Comments 2012

1 449 Knole Venetian Ambassadors Tapestry

Textiles Knole LSE 136,000 not funded, for prioritisation only, project not due to start until 2014

2 448 Knole Venetian Ambassadors Gallery carpet


3 431 Gideon Tapestry -'Gideon selects his army of 300 men' 82f

Textiles Hardwick Mid 239,458 Insufficient funding to allocate to these tapestries, but to be included in the Top Priority Textile Conservation bid

4 430 Gideon Tapestry -'Gideon visits the Midianite camp as a spy' 82g


5 429 Gideon Tapestry -'Gideon sounding trumpets attacking the Midianites to drive them away' 82b


6 418 Stained glass Glass Sudbury Hall

Mid 30,883 Questions over ownership require resolution before further funding.

7 210 Dyrham State Bed Textiles Dyrham Park

SW 218,950 Loan to be agreed before funding possible (due this year)

8 447 Knole Spangled Bedroom Tapestries


9 446 Knole Museum Rm Upholstered furniture

Textiles & Furniture

Knole LSE 36,000 not funded, for prioritisation only, project not due to start until 2014

10 468 Model of the Ruins of the Temple at Palmyra (case)

Models Erddig Wales 11,598 Funded agreed, CCP

11 444 Knole Leicester Gallery Upholstered furniture

Textiles & Furniture

Knole LSE 15,000 not funded, for prioritisation only, project not due to start until 2014

12 460 C17 cream brocatelle wedding suit and cavalry coat

Textiles Claydon House

LSE 44,435 Funding agreed, CCP or Wolfson

13 445 Knole Leicester Gallery Paintings

Paintings Knole LSE 30,000 Not funded- loan objects, for prioritisation only

14 149 38 early firearms at Chirk Castle Phase 2

Firearms Chirk Castle Wales 33,370 Funding agreed, CCP

15 201 6 x Chinoiserie tapestries

Textiles The Vyne LSE 289,313 Offer to Wolfson (match funding from CCP if Wolfson fund)

National priority no.

CCP project

no

Project name – National List

Material Property Region Funding request

Comments 2012

16 457 Hanbury Hall Dining Room Ceiling Paintings

Plaster Hanbury Mid 44,900 Funding agreed, CCP

17 440 A la Ronde Shell Gallery & Grotto Staircase

Multi A la Ronde SW 148,599 Not funded-property not ready for this to be offered to Wolfson as CMP being completed.

18 466 Garden statuary Statuary Polesden Lacey

LSE 25,597 Funding agreed, CCP

19 467 Wallpaper project Paper Back to Backs

Mid 14,300

Funding required 20 441 Erddig Black

Lacquered Cabinet Furniture Erddig Wales 38,256

Funding required 21 289 Conservation of the

Frieze by John Hunderford Pollen in Long Gallery at Blickling Hall

Wall paintings

Blickling Hall

E of E

46996 Funding required 22 471 Wandsworth Road

Bedroom Curtains Textiles 575

Wandsworth Road

LSE

17857

CCP cash envelope, not cash, provisionally agreed

23 221/222 Giltwood suite, Somerset Room (NB costs cover furniture conservation only)

Furniture Petworth LSE 48,500

Not funded- includes loan items

24 463 Tapestry- 'The Reception of an Embassy'

Textiles Powis Castle

Wales 127,410 Offer to Wolfson (match funding from CCP if Wolfson fund)

25 407 Saltram Saloon carpet

Textiles Saltram SW 247,990 Not funded - timing not right to be offered to Wolfson as links to major reservicing project.

26 296 1851 Axminster Carpet from Great Hall (now in storage) at Felbrigg Hall

Textiles Felbrigg Hall

E of E 41,600

Not funded - not on display

27 362 Hatton Tapestry from main stairs HHH/T/96b. Last in series of 4 tapestries.

Textiles Hardwick Mid 23,522

Funding agreed, CCP

28 351 Chinese Lacquer Screen

Furniture Powis Wales 37,295 Funding required

29 368 Applique Panels - ' The Virtues' (HHE/T/231b-d & HHE/T/232a-b)

Textiles Hardwick Mid 784,169 Funding required once Penelope complete and implications for rest of set absorbed.

30 406 Saltram saloon Robert Adam ceiling

Plaster Saltram SW 81,853 Not funded - timing not right to be offered to Wolfson as links to major reservicing project.

CCP List 2012

Townend Library, books

Basildon Park, Crimson Bedroom textiles

What does collections conservation mean

•At the Centre•In the Consultancy•At Regions •At Properties•Outside the Trust

Consultancy - central

Hands off conservation – remedial and preventive–Advising in specialism–Monitoring – national overview in

specialism–Training–External advocacy

Consultancy: Preventive Conservation Advisers

Housekeeping– Equipment, techniques & materials – Staffing levels & structures

Environment– Light, T, RH, pollution, pests– Consultants for environment and insect pests

Skills & Projects– Training including– Building works– Emergency procedures

Monitoring

Consultancy: Remedial Conservation Advisers

Staff– Paintings Conservation Adviser – Paper Conservation Adviser – Photographic Materials Conservation Adviser– Textile Conservation Adviser

Freelance –– stone/plaster, wall paintings, archaeological artefacts– furniture, carriages, clocks, musical instruments, stained glass, historic

lighting, mould– metal, bells, firearms, natural history, insect pests– books, libraries

Consultancy – central

Hands on conservation – remedial and preventive

Textile Conservation Studio (staff)– Provides advisory service for textile

conservation– Expertise and skill in conservation of

textiles on open display in historic houses– Trains interns and apprentices

Consultancy: Remedial Conservators - staff

Consultancy – remedial Conservators, freelance

– c.1 million objects + fixtures & decorative interiors in c.150 accredited museums

– Quantity and range of collections requires a over 250 freelance conservators

– Conservators selected on basis of skills for job and geographical location

– Approved by Advisers

Consultancy: regional

Hands off conservation• Regional overview• General advice, monitoring,

training (like GPs) Hands on conservation• Planning, training and

occasional basic treatments

Consultancy: Preventive Conservators - work at properties

Based in regional/area offices/hubs– 12.31 FTE Conservators (18 individuals)– Capacity made up by project conservators

Conservators based at properties

Hands on work –monitoring–Planning–Training–supervising

Property: project conservator (building works, filming), trained house staff

Photo credit: National Trust / Gwen Thomas, taken on set 2010

Rosemary Macdonald, project

conservator supervising filming at Osterley Park for Gulliver’s Travels

Lauren Jackson, project conservator planning &

organising packing & storage for building works & commissioning remedial conservation – Seaton

Delaval Hall, Mount Stewart

Also monitoring and data gathering, e.g. C4A, PCAs…..

Trained House Staff (and volunteers)

–Equivalent to Conservation Technicians:

–Hands on work and monitoring through and with volunteers

–Increasing emphasis on engagement and interpretation, and doing the work in front of the public

•House and Collections Managers

•House Managers (may incl Visitor Services & or volunteer duties)

•House Stewards (as above)

•Assistant House Stewards (as above)

•Conservation Assistant (often + engagement)

•Custodian (all the above)

•CMS officers (often + engagement)

•Conservation volunteers

Property roles

Conservators and Curators work closely together and are flip sides of same coinconservators start with physical study, curators start with historical studydecisions of both governed by understanding significance

What is a conservator’s career path

® Collective Trade Mark of PACRAccredited Conservator-Restorer

Formal university/college-based training

Mostly Masters, sometimes Bachelors as well• Durham University – archaeology• Lincoln – general objects• Northumbria – paintings, paper, preventive• Hamilton Kerr, Cambridge - paintings• Cardiff – objects, archaeology• York – stained glass• Glasgow – textiles• Buckingham – furniture• West Dean – many specialisms, much CPD• London:

– Courtauld institute – paintings and wall paintings– Institute of Archaeology – archaeology (!)– City and Guilds – many specialisms– London Metropolitan – objects & decorative surfaces– Camberwell – book and paper

Buildings – another subject – heritage craft skills

Work-based learning - Conservation Technicial Qualification (CTQ)

Consultancy: Assistant Conservators

1 central, 4 textile Assistant ConservatorsPaid internship

Succession planningSkills gaps

Pay – recommended levels from ICON’s 2007 survey

• the minimum salary for conservators £20,895 FTE• conservation technicians £17,500 FTE• the stipend (not salary) for interns undertaking

workbased learning be £15,500.• Newly qualified conservator - average - £21,115 FTE• Qualification and some experience required - average

- £23,443 FTE• Professional Accreditation (PACR) or

considerable experience required - average £27,351 FTE

• Senior/management roles - average - £36,971 FTE

www.ntjobs.org.uk

Discussion

Your questions:– Collection management and conservation– I think I would like to know more about the practicalities

of what being the Head of Conservation involves on a day-to-day basis. Also, I would like to know how Conservation differs between Head Office and the Regions – for example, whether it’s more theoretical/ advice driven at Head Office or more practical in the Regions.

– I would love to hear more about the museums and properties objects and collections from a curator point of view

– Interesting information would be what are the different job descriptions/roles which are involved in conservation projects.

The National Trust shall be established for the purpose of promoting the permanent preservation for the benefit of the nation of lands and tenements (including buildings) of beauty or historic interest and as regards lands for the preservation (so far as is practicable) of their natural aspect, features and animal and plant life.

National Trust PURPOSESection 4.1 National Trust Act, 1907

National Trust Definition of Conservation

‘…‘…the careful management of change. It is about revealing the careful management of change. It is about revealing and sharing the significance of places and ensuring that and sharing the significance of places and ensuring that their special qualities are protected, enhanced, enjoyedtheir special qualities are protected, enhanced, enjoyed and understood by present and future generations’and understood by present and future generations’

Museum Association 1998 Definition

‘Museums enable people to explore collections for inspiration,

learning and enjoyment. They are institutions that collect, safeguard

and make accessible artefacts and specimens, which they hold in

trust for society.’

National Trust Conservation Principles Principle 1: Significance

We will ensure that all decisions are informed by an appropriate

level of understanding of the significance and “Spirit of Place”

of each of our properties, and why we and others value them.

We will take an integrated approach to the conservation

of the natural and cultural heritage, reconciling the full

spectrum of interests involved.

National Trust Conservation Principles Principle 2: Integration

We will anticipate and work with change that affects our conservation interests,

embracing, accommodating or adapting where appropriate, and mitigating,

preventing or opposing where there is a potential adverse impact.

National Trust Conservation Principles Principle 3: Change

We will conserve natural and cultural heritage to enable sustainable access for the benefit of society, gaining the support

of the widest range of people by promoting understanding, enjoyment and participation in our work and our cause.

National Trust Conservation Principles Principle 4: Access and Engagement

We will develop our skills and experience in partnership with others to promote and improve the conservation of natural and

cultural heritage now and for the future.

National Trust Conservation Principles Principle 5: Skills and Partnership

We will be transparent and accountable by recording our

decisions and sharing knowledge to enable the best conservation decisions to be undertaken both today and by future generations.

National Trust Conservation Principles Principle 6: Accountability

http://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/what-we-do/what-we-protect/houses-and-buildings/view-page/item629435/

f

‘Museums enable people to explore collections for

inspiration, learning and enjoyment. They are institutions that collect, safeguard and make

accessible artefacts and specimens, which they hold

in trust for society.’

Museum Association 1998

Definition

•Best practice•Takes account of context – tangible & intangible•Minimal intervention•Reversibility or retreatability•Compatability•Stability

National Trust Conservation Context

Preventive conservation– Identify agents of deterioration– Monitor– Control

Remedial conservation– Treatment to conserve objects/surfaces to stabilise them

and present them at a level consistent with their display context and significance

The Consultancy

Head of Profession - professional leadership in conservation or MSD discipline

Strategic Leads/Directors - strategic leadership for Whole Trust e.g. Museums & Collections Director, Sarah Staniforth

Heads of Consultancy (Conservation and Marketing) 1/region/country

Consultancy Managers lead teams of MSD and conservation staff, sometimes mixed

StrategyVision: Connecting people with places

Regular maintenance, little and often

Improving Conservation & Environmental Performance

Bringing Properties to Life - Conservation in Action

Engaging Supporters

• It whets the appetite for the rest of the house, I’d like to see more about the conservation of the whole house and more about the history of the family

• Conservation up close and personal Seeing it in action helps a lot!

• Significantly it makes you feel more part of the Trust, sometimes you can feel alienated, you walk around in a crowd and you don’t tend to find out much

• It’s amazing, it’s a once in a lifetime opportunity to be able to get so close to them. We’ll definitely come back to see them from the bottom when it is all finished!

• Getting so close and talking to the conservator – I’d like to see more conservation work like this in other places I’d definitely come back again and it makes you want to go to other properties as well

Hanbury – visitor comments on conservation benefit

Getting supporters involved

Investing in our people

Training follows NT Heritage Skills Passport, mapped to NOS for structure for work-based learning • Year One – House and Collections (10)• Year Two – Visitor Experience (10)• Year Three – Horticulture and Countryside (10)

Transport stats 2012-13 54% non compliant

Movement ofobjectsrecorded onCMS at time oftransport - 46%

Movement ofobjects notrecorded onCMS at time oftransport - 54%

Object notinventoried on CMSat time of transport(but NT owned) - 6%

Loans-in notinventoried on CMSat time of transport-56%

New acquisitions &Gifts not inventoriedon CMS at time oftransport- 30%

Previous CMSmovement historynot up to date - 2%

Part of a ComplexObject which needsto be split - 6%

Room for improvement…. E.g. Movement Control

katy lithgow session

Business