| Putting the house to bed |
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| Written by Clare Royals and Penny Kitchen, 2005 | |
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Page 1 of 2 Clare Royals goes behind the scenes at Osterley Park and Polesden Lacey to discover what happens at the National Trust's historic properties during the winter. While Clare Royals visited Osterley Park and Polesdon Lacey, Penny Kitchen photographed conservation cleaners at work Putting the House to Bed day at Petworth House in Sussex. When the visiting season is over and the properties close their doors to the public, you could be forgiven for thinking that the staff would be putting their feet up and enjoying a well-earned rest. Far from it. The visitors may have gone but there's a huge amount of housekeeping work to be done to ensure that the National Trust's aim of preserving the precious contents "for everyone for ever" is achieved.The Trust cares for a million-plus objects in more than 200 historic properties ranging from richly decorated stately homes such as Blickling Hall and Waddesdon Manor to modest dwellings such as Hardy's Cottage in Dorset or Mr Straw's House in Worksop. As many properties are closed for just two days a week during the open season, there's only time for the minimum of housekeeping, primarily routine dusting and vacuuming to keep down the damaging dust and grit brought in on the feet of the 12.5 million visitors passing through Trust properties.  Examining a frame for damage with the help of a torch. The most important thing is maintaining the right environment - light, heat and humidity all pose a threat if they are not kept at the correct levels. Light causes colour change and weakens materials. The worst offender is ultraviolet light, invisible to the naked eye, which damages textiles, wallpaper, watercolours, leather, wood, fur and feathers. If relative humidity is too high, mould grows, insects start to thrive in textiles and wood and metal start to corrode. If it's too low, paint, varnish, wood and other organic materials start to dry out and crack. Once the properties close their doors to the public, the serious work begins as the housekeeping team (just three people at each of the properties I visited) start to clean and wrap the treasures, carefully and slowly. Banish any images you might have of welcoming log fires warming the draughty rooms while the winter work is done! The houses are heated for the benefit of the contents, not the staff, and that means a cool 15°C and sometimes much lower. Each winter a condition report is made on every object in every property detailing what was done when and if there is any existing damage. This is referred to the following year before work is started. Not everything is cleaned every year. In fact the aim is to do the minimum required and to handle objects as little as possible. The housekeeping team (also called conservation cleaners) are trained to handle and clean precious artefacts and deal with general wear and tear, but occasionally it's necessary to call in a professional conservator. During the winter, dusting is done infrequently but far more thoroughly than is possible when the house is open. Walls and ceilings are brushed down. Furniture is dusted underneath, behind and inside, where appropriate, to make sure that potentially harmful insects like moth and beetle don't find a cosy winter home in some nook or cranny. Floors are the least noticed but the most labour-intensive, we were told by Shirley Dave, conservation cleaner at Osterley Park. They shouldn't be waxed too often - certainly no more than once a year - and less in areas where they are not walked on regularly by the public. A build-up of wax makes them dull. To clean and keep them glowing and shiny, a time-tested method, the paraffin and vinegar cloth, is used. The vinegar cleans the wood while the paraffin helps maintain the shine. You can try this at home - it works a treat. Cut an old lambswool blanket into 60cm/24in squares and soak in a 50/50 mixture of paraffin and malt vinegar (300ml of each is sufficient for six cloths). Hang out to dry. To use, simply put or tie a cloth under the head of a dry mop. Keep the cloths in glass jars or airtight plastic bags to prevent them from drying out between using - and to contain the smell!
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Thorough dusting
