Conservation Services & Past Projects

All conservation work is carried out as far as possible conforming to the British Standard BS 4971:2017 Conservation and care of archive and library collections. It is important to maintain the integrity of the original object and adopt the principle of minimum intervention when carrying out conservation work.

All materials used will be compatible with the object and reversible as far as possible. All work is documented and a full treatment report is provided.

Bookbinding Paper Conservation Wax Seal Conservation Bespoke Box Making

Other services include:

Collection condition surveys 
Condition reports for exhibition 
Advice on storage, care of collections,  and exhibitions

Bookbinding

Cloth covered, paper covered or leather covered books repaired and restored to keep the original binding or rebound in a new binding in the same style. New bindings or covers created for special occasions or just to keep and use, in a variety of styles and materials to suit different budgets. Slipcases and drop back boxes made to protect the binding.

Bookbinding : Portfolio Examples

An old family bible where the cover was very worn and the textblock and cover had come apart. The textblock was repaired and resewn.A new binding was created inlaying the title from the original cover.
A book that had lost its cover. The textblock was resewn and then it was rebound in cloth.
A much loved book rebound in full leather with gold leaf tooling for a Christmas present .
Large full leather album commission
An old cloth covered book which had lost its spine, repaired with a new cloth spine.
Nineteen volume set of Dickens rebound in half leather.
Leather reback. Boards re-attached, a new calf spine dyed to match and fitted, and the original spine re-adhered over it.
Leather rebacks, some with new spines, some with the priginal spine reused on top of a new leather spine.

Paper Conservation

Detached pages in a large bible which had become torn, crumpled and dirty over time. The paper was surface cleaned, then washed to remove soluble dirt. The pages were repaired using wheat starch paste and Japanese paper infills, before being re-attached  to the textblock. The volume was then rebacked attaching a new leather spine and relaying the original spine back on top.

Paper Conservation : Portfolio Example

Badly damaged pages, before and after.

Wax Seal Conservation

A large King James II wax seal that had broken into fragments. The seal was surface cleaned with a soft brush followed by de-ionised water using cotton buds. The fragments were re-attached using a wax / turpentine mix. The losses were infilled with unbleached wax coloured with earth pigments to provide structural stability.

Wax Seal Conservation : Portfolio Examples

Bespoke Box Making

Attractive individual boxes created to house the object safely and also suitable for display. Individual book mounts made from museum mountboard which offer complete support to the spine and boards of the binding  during an exhibition

Bespoke Box & Mounts : Portfolio Example

Box made to contain Henry VIII’s prayer roll
Box made to contain Henry VIII’s prayer roll
Bespoke Box made for royal charter
Book mounts for exhibition

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