Hampton Court Palace

On Tuesday morning we headed to Hampton Court Palace. To get to Hampton Court, the group got taxis to Waterloo station then the train. 

When we got to the Palace, we were greeted by Preventive Conservation Manager Kathryn Hallett. First she gave a history of the Palace then an introduction into collections and conservation identifying some of the risks and challenges they have faced. One main challenge, for example, is preserving the large wall tapestries in the Great Hall because they are always on display (and have been for the past 200 years) and subject to light and humidity, and difficult to remove from the walls. The tapestries depict the story of Abraham which resonated with Henry VIII because he too waited so long for a son.

Another main problem they have is the collection of dust which is brought in by visitors. The collections management team use an international framework called 'The Agents of Deterioration' which lists contaminants and risks such as dust, light, pests, incorrect temperature and humidity and how to monitor these.

She got us in groups to discuss and make suggestions on how to preserve the tapestries in the Great Hall.

After she spoke, the registrar Rebecca Wallace talked about the process of acquiring, accessioning and cataloging items and the policy framework they use.

Then the Treatment Conservation Manager, Mika Takami spoke on the challenges they face with conserving the buildings and objects in the Palace, particularly when it is open to visitors 363 days a year so this has to be done after hours.

She gave us an exclusive tour of the textile conservation studio which showed the process of restoring the tapestries and costumes. There were 3 Princess Diana dresses out on the table for restoration, and also some fabric which is believed to be the only surviving part of a dress worn by Elizabeth I. None of Elizabeth I's dresses have survived so this fabric is extremely rare and was found by chance in a church last year by Dr Tracy Borman, the Chief Curator. We got a really interesting insight into this discovery when Tracy Borman gave a presentation to us yesterday. 

It is believed to be the fabric of the bodice worn by Elizabeth 1 in this portrait:

It was very special to see this fabric laid out on the table. 

After the tour, we were given free time to look around so I spent a couple of hours looking around the house.

I liked the use of cloth labels. Instead of having printed text panels, the text had been printed on sheets of cloth which were pinned to curtains behind the paintings (below).

Then I walked through the gardens - the fountain and the maze (UK's oldest surviving hedge maze). 

In the evening I went out for dinner with some people from the group, to an Italian Restaurant and I had a Chocolate Fondant pudding with salted caramel icecream which was very delectable.