Employees from Waddesdon Manor have completed the MA Furniture: Conservation, Restoration & Decorative Arts at Bucks New University.
They went on to exhibit items of beautifully conserved furniture at the University’s end of year MA show.
They joined their fellow postgraduate students, many with international backgrounds, to exhibit the best items of their work created during the last calendar year. The show celebrated the talent, creativity and success of the students, who have been studying at Bucks New University for either one year full time or two years part-time.
Dr Campbell Norman-Smith, Course Leader, MA Furniture: Conservation, Restoration & Decorative Arts at Bucks New University, said: “The standard of work this year and the quality of objects could not have been better. Through our contacts with Waddesdon Manor and the Royal Collection, amongst others, we have obtained some amazing pieces of furniture for our students to work on, spanning several centuries right through from the 1600s.”
Amongst the range of special items exhibited was the work of Waddesdon Manor’s Head Steward, student Jane Finch, from Stewkley, near Milton Keynes. Jane restored a neoclassical armchair, dating c.1760-98. Provided to Bucks by the Manor, this upholstered walnut armchair features a gilded and over-painted finish.
Jane has been a long-serving member of staff on the stewarding team at Waddesdon Manor, where she has worked for 18 years. As Head Steward, she is responsible for the physical care and handling of the Manor’s furniture collection, which covers everything from cleaning and lighting to handling and environmental control.
Through the Manor’s established links with the University, the opportunity arose for Jane to enrol on the MA Furniture: Conservation, Restoration & Decorative Arts, studying one day a week over three years. She said:”I was lucky enough to be given the neoclassical armchair from the Waddesdon collection to work on which needed general consolidation, repair and replacement to some lost mouldings on the front legs.
“It turned out to be rather a special piece, as once the old top cover had been removed it was discovered that the upholstery on the chair was still the original. This changed the brief as it was decided to put on a top cover which could be completely detachable and give access for people to look at the upholstery underneath without any further interference to the frame of the chair.
“I achieved this by hand-stitching a fitted top cover for the seat and back with magnetic strips around the edge that could hold the cover to the chair, and then adding a magnetic strip of brass nails over the top which gave the appearance of upholstery.”
Also on display were items restored by MA student and Waddesdon employee, Harriet Nichols, from Newton Longville, near Milton Keynes. Harriet’s MA project includes a 19th century Revival-style frame, featuring a painting entitled View of Birmingham from the Dome of St Phillips, which was provided to Bucks by Birmingham Museums and Art Gallery. The piece, now fully conserved, is a composition frame with oil and water gilding on pine substrate.
Harriet was recently appointed by the National Trust to work as a Conservation Assistant at Waddesdon Manor. She said: “I was so pleased to get the job and feel really lucky to have been given such an amazing opportunity. I have always wanted to work in either a museum or stately home, it is exactly what I was aiming for and is the perfect role to help me start my career.”
Harriet has also worked on a decorative model of Aston Church, which is mother-of-pearl on pine substrate and dating c.1920-60. Intensely detailed and delicate, this piece was very interesting to work on and Harriet said: “The model was particularly fascinating due to the scope for material exploration. The combination of different materials meant that a variety of processes needed to be performed. However, the bulk of the work was in the form of cleaning, cutting and attaching the pieces of mother-of-pearl. The project took almost 400 hours to complete, consequently the end result was very satisfying!”
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