From the first submarine
to fine furniture

Shortlists for Pilgrim Trust Conservation Awards 2002
spotlight excellence in British heritage conservation

From the Royal Navy’s first submarine, through 18th-century marquetry to work on historic wallpaper in a stately home, the shortlists for the Pilgrim Trust Conservation Awards - announced today - highlight the quality and range of British heritage conservation.

Loyd Grossman, Chairman of the judges, revealed the 11 candidates in the competition shortlists at the Wallace Collection in London. Comprising three categories, the competition is the UK’s premier scheme to reward excellence in preserving our heritage - open to conservators for completed projects on individual artefacts, museum collections, historic buildings and library and archival treasures.

Among the 11 short-listed candidates is the Royal Navy Submarine Museum in Hampshire, with its project to restore Holland 1 - conservators saved the 1901 vessel from rampant corrosion and constructed a special humidity-controlled gallery to display it to the public. The Wallace Collection’s entry focuses on the conservation of an 18th-century writing-desk - one of the jewels of the Collection - restored using novel techniques to re-apply its marquetry and clean its surface. The restoration of historic wallpaper and paintwork at Nostell Priory, in West Yorkshire - and the installation of environmental monitoring systems using computer technology and 5 miles of cabling - form key parts of the National Trust’s shortlisted entry.

The Award scheme’s three categories comprise: the Award for Conservation - worth £15,000; Student Conservator of the Year - worth £10,000 (£5,000 each for the student and the training organisation); and the Anna Plowden Trust Award for Research and Innovation in Conservation - worth £2,000. Judging will focus on how well the candidates have used their scientific, technological, aesthetic and historical knowledge to conserve heritage items and reveal their significance to a wide audience. The three winners will be announced at a prize-giving ceremony at the British Library on 12 November 2002.

The distinguished panel of judges is chaired by Loyd Grossman, broadcaster and member of the board of Resource: the Council for Museums, Archives and Libraries. Loyd comments, ‘Chosen from an exceptionally strong field, the shortlist for this year’s Awards demonstrates the extraordinary versatility of modern conservators, their skills applied to an amazing range of objects and collections. We are especially interested in the fascinating hidden stories that the conservators are able to reveal. Also important is how well they have succeeded in communicating the excitement of their work to a wider public. British conservators lead the world, but all too often their achievements remain unrecognised. The Awards turn the spotlight on conservation, and the judges will have a difficult time selecting the winners from the excellent - and very diverse - projects on the shortlist.’

Sponsored by the Pilgrim Trust, the Awards are also supported by key organisations in conservation and restoration - English Heritage, the National Preservation Office (based at the British Library), Resource: The Council for Museums, Archives and Libraries and the United Kingdom Institute for Conservation. The Award for research and innovation is sponsored by the Anna Plowden Trust.

For further information, images, or to arrange interviews please contact Valerie McBurney in The British Library Press Office on 020 7412 7112, or email [email protected]

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Notes to Editors

The shortlisted projects for the Pilgrim Trust Conservation Awards 2002 are:

*Award for Conservation 2002
The Museum of Science and Industry, Manchester
The Collections Centre was created to provide physical, intellectual and virtual access to collections of objects and archives previously held in stores, while maintaining high standards of conservation, care and management.

The National Portrait Gallery
Twelve badly damaged prints, which could not be used or accessed, were conserved and their treatment was highlighted in the 2002 exhibition ‘Changing Impressions: a print conservation project in focus’.

The National Trust
Poor environmental conditions were eliminated at an 18th-century house, Nostell Priory in West Yorkshire, helped by computer technology, and the historic fabric of the building and collections of furniture and other treasures were conserved.

The Royal Navy Submarine Museum
Severe corrosion to the Royal Navy’s first submarine, Holland 1, built in 1901, was halted, extensive conservation work carried out, and a specially-designed gallery constructed to display the finished vessel.

Strachey and Strachey Conservation
The damaged stonework of the tower -including almost-obliterated decorative detail - at St Mary’s Church, Beaminster, Dorset, was repaired and restored, and the work was communicated to a local audience and to visitors.

The Wallace Collection
An 18th-century marquetry secretaire by Jean-François Leleu was conserved and displayed in the 2001 exhibition ‘Paintings in Wood’, and the conservation process was communicated to the public.

*Student Conservator of the Year Award
Annie Hall, Royal College of Art/V&A Museum (MA Conservation)
The project explored the ethical considerations necessary when conserving a spiritually significant collection of Tibetan religious sculpture housed in the V&A.

Kathryn Hallett, Royal College of Art/V&A Museum, with the British Museum (MA Conservation Science)
The effect of UV-filtered light on the degradation of cellulose was determined and the information used to evaluate lighting in the British Museum’s Ethnography galleries.

Alexandra Jones, Institute of Archaeology, UCL (MSc in Conservation for Archaeology and Museums)
A collection of Etruscan Bucchero ceramic vessels in the British Museum was investigated and conserved prior to academic study and publication - contributing to access and understanding of the objects.

*Anna Plowden Trust Award
The Museum of London
A cost-effective technique for measuring the air-exchange rate of display cases and storage enclosures was developed using tracer gas decay.

The Wallace Collection
An important 18th-century secretaire by Jean-François Leleu was conserved using rehydration of glue, vacuum bag and heated panel; and the use of a gel system to remove a degraded shellac layer.

The judging panel for the Award for Conservation and the Student Conservator of the Year Award comprises:
Loyd Grossman (Chairman of the Judging Panel) - A well-known writer and broadcaster, a member of the board of Resource: The Council for Museums, Archives and Libraries, Chairman of the Campaign for Museums and an English Heritage Commissioner.
Martin Bailey - Correspondent of The Art Newspaper, contributor to RA Magazine and author of several books on art and artists.
Liz Forgan OBE - Chair of the National Heritage Memorial Fund and Heritage Lottery Fund, and a former Managing Director of BBC Radio.
David Landau - Art historian, editor of Print Quarterly and a Trustee of the National Gallery, the Courtauld Institute of Art and The Art Fund.
Anna Southall - Director of the National Museums & Galleries of Wales, and Chief Executive-designate of Resource: The Council for Museums, Archives and Libraries.

The Anna Plowden Trust Award for Research and Innovation in Conservation is judged by the Trustees.

The Pilgrim Trust was founded in 1930 by Edward Stephen Harkness of New York to award grants for some of Great Britain's more urgent needs and to promote the country's future well-being. In 2000, the Trustees made 137 grant commitments totalling £2.9 million, to projects involved in social welfare, art and learning, preservation, cataloguing and conservation of records and the repair of historic churches. Further information on the Trust is available at www.thepilgrimtrust.org.uk

English Heritage is the Government's lead body for the historic environment. Funded partly by the Government and in part from revenue earned from its historic properties and other services, English Heritage aims to increase the understanding of the past, conserve and enhance the historic environment and broaden access and appreciation of heritage. For further information see the website at www.english-heritage.org.uk

The National Preservation Office provides an independent focus for ensuring the preservation and continued accessibility of library and archive material held in the United Kingdom and Ireland. Based at the British Library, the NPO is supported by the Library, The Public Record Office, The National Library of Scotland, Trinity College Dublin, The Consortium of University Research Libraries, Cambridge University Library, The National Library of Wales and the Oxford University Library Services. Further information on the NPO is available at www.bl.uk/services/preservation/national.html

Resource: The Council for Museums, Archives and Libraries is a government agency sponsored by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport. Resource provides the strategic leadership, advocacy and advice to enable museums, archives and libraries to touch people's lives and inspire their imagination, learning and creativity. For further information see www.resource.gov.uk

The United Kingdom Institute for Conservation (UKIC) is the professional body for those who care for the country's cultural objects and heritage collections. Its members are conservators working in public institutions such as museums and galleries, and conservators and restorers working in the private sector. The Institute exists to foster excellence in the provision of conservation services, to raise awareness of the importance of conservation skills, and to provide information and advice to those requiring conservation services. It operates the Conservation Register, a national database of conservation services. Full details can be found at www.ukic.org.uk

The Anna Plowden Trust was established by the friends and family of Anna Plowden CBE, following her death. As one of the first scientifically trained conservators to work in the private sector, Anna Plowden was committed to the promotion and development of the conservation profession through both training and education, which she believed should be of the highest possible standard. The Trust seeks to promote her ideals and interests. Further information is available from: The Anna Plowden Trust, 43 Lansdowne Gardens, London, SW8 2EL.

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