Pilgrim Trust Conservation Awards

Our cultural heritage is irreplaceable. Buildings and collections provide enormous pleasure and enlighten us about our past. They are highly valued. Yet our heritage is a fragile resource, made of perishable materials in a hostile environment. Individual artefacts, museum collections, historic buildings which house collections, and the contents of libraries and archives all depend for their well-being and survival on active policies for conservation, restoration and prevention of future decay.

Conservation is central to these challenges. Conservators not only ensure the long-term future of items, but also use their scientific, technological, aesthetic and historical knowledge to ensure that the stories hidden within artefacts are revealed to a wide audience, and that images and meaning are made intelligible. The Conservation Awards focus public attention on the skills and knowledge of conservation professionals in the UK by celebrating excellence in conservation and restoration projects.

Details of how to apply for the Conservation Awards 2005 will be available on this site early in the New Year.

Recent Award-winners

Award for Conservation 2004: Hamilton Kerr Institute and the parish of St Mary's Thornham Parva. Conservation of the Thornham Parva Retable.

Award for Conservation 2002: Ian Clark and the Royal Navy Submarine Museum, Gosport. Conservation and display of the Royal Navy’s first submarine, Holland 1.

Award for Conservation 2000: Hanna Conservation and Martin Stancliffe. Investigations into the causes of deterioration of carvings of leaves and animals in the 13th-century Chapter House, Southwell Minster, used as the basis for a new approach to long-term preservation.

Award for Conservation 1999: Virginia Neal and Wiltshire County Council. A collaborative project to conserve a fragile Bronze Age shield found at South Cadbury and put it on public display.