By Leah Warriner-Wood, Senior Lecturer in Conservation of Cultural Heritage.
In late September 2023, staff from the Lincoln School of Humanities and Heritage gathered with industry colleagues to celebrate the success of three of the University’s MA Conservation of Cultural Heritage students. Alice Meigh, Martha Crocker, and Foteini Diatsigkou had all been awarded bursaries by The Counties Heritage Foundation (CHF), with the support of the Lamport Hall Preservation Trust (LHPT), that enabled them to each take up a short work experience placement with some of the National Trust’s specialist conservation professionals.
The celebration event was hosted at the National Trust’s Belton House, near Grantham in Lincolnshire, but the students did their placements at sites including the Trust’s Royal Oak Foundation Conservation Studio at Knole in Kent, and Hill Top in the Lake District, which was formerly the home of author Beatrix Potter. Working alongside specialists in their field, Alice, Martha and Foteini were able to build on their training at the University by examining, assessing the condition of, and working to preserve a range of historic objects, using the techniques and procedures practised by the National Trust. Such applied experiences are an invaluable part of building an emerging conservator’s professional portfolio and confidence.
Once invited guests had arrived and settled themselves with a cup of tea (which was very welcome on what turned out to be a wet day!) welcoming speeches were made by Rosemary Newman on behalf of the CHF, Sir Richard Isham on behalf of the LHPT, and others. Guests also listened to presentations from the National Trust’s National Curator for Decorative Arts, James Rothwell, and Emma Schmuecker ACR, Conservation Studio Manager at the Royal Oak Studio. It was clear from all of the presentations and speeches just how passionate each individual and organisation is about supporting the next generation of conservation professionals, and how much the CHF, LHPT and National Trust had enjoyed working with our three MA students.
The talks were followed by a short presentation ceremony, in which certificates were awarded to each of the three students, in recognition of their bursary success and placement experiences. The event closed with an opportunity for guests to chat over lunch in Belton House’s restaurant – after all, what visit to a National Trust property would be complete without a slice of cake!
The Conservation staff at the University of Lincoln are immensely proud of the commitment and determination shown by the student bursary recipients, and we send our thanks to the CHF and LHPT for their energy and generosity in supporting our students in their professional development goals.
The CHF and LHPT placement bursary scheme will be running again in the 2023/24 academic year. Postgraduate Conservation students who are interested in applying should contact Leah Warriner-Wood in the first instance.