The doors may be closed to the public at The Tabley House Collection in Knutsford but the house is buzzing with conservation volunteers dusting, cleaning, cataloguing and condition checking the 11,000 + items in the collection.
The Collection Trust would love to have more people involved and have started a recruitment drive to encourage anyone with an interest in history, architecture or art and looking for something to do in their spare time to come along and try their hand.
Anna Bates, who manages the winter conservation programme said “There are more than 3500 books in the collection that need some tender loving care, as well as the fine furniture and decorative arts pieces on permanent display. This year we’re also determined to re-discover some of the many treasures we have in storage. Already we’ve been able to further document many items that initially held very little information on our database. It is a privilege to learn about many of these items and help preserve them and improve access to them for years to come.”
Anna Bates, who manages the Winter Conservation programme said “There are more than 3500 books in the collection alone that need some tender loving care, as well as the fine furniture and decorative arts pieces on permanent display. This year we’re determined to re-discover some of the many treasures we have in storage. Already we’ve been able to document many items that initially held very little information on our database. It is a privilege to learn about many of these items and help preserve them and improve access to them for years to come.”
During the Summer months volunteers also get the opportunity to pass on their knowledge as room stewards when the house is open to the public, though some prefer to stay in the background continuing with the conservation work.
Anyone interested in finding out more about volunteering at The Tabley House Collection can call 01565 750151 or drop the team a line at tableyhouse@btconnect.com