Gideon Tapestries

Europa Nostra UK

Conserving the largest set of tapestries over 24 years: breathing new life into the Gideon tapestries from Hardwick Hall, National Trust

The conservation of the Gideon Tapestries at Hardwick Hall took 24 years and £1.7 million to complete. This talk will explore the conservation treatment challenges in conserving a set of tapestries covering 72m in length and 6m in height, an astonishing 432m². We will discuss the collaboration with De Wit in Belgium, who wet cleaned this set of extremely dirty tapestries and explore the problems encountered in the safe installation and deinstallation of tapestries of such an enormous scale. We will also review the challenge of conserving the woven image, infilling areas of lost design and working with previously rewoven areas. One of the most ambitious tapestry sets of their time and the largest surviving set in the UK. The investment in conservation treatment will extend their lives by 100 years, allowing future generations to appreciate the craftsmanship and stories contained in this remarkable set.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Elaine Owers  BiographyAfter a career managing historic houses Elaine trained at Lincoln University, graduating with an MA in the Conservation of Historic Objects in 2008. Following her training Elaine completed a two-year ICON Internship in Tapestry Conservation hosted by the National Trust Textile Conservation Studio. Specialising in tapestry conservation, Elaine has managed various large-scale conservation projects, including several of the Gideon tapestries from Hardwick Hall and two sets of 17th century tapestries nailed to the walls of Doddington Hall. Elaine is currently managing the conservation of a Ulysses tapestry from Hardwick Hall, part of the most complete set of all the recorded weavings of the Ulysses series.&nbsp;&nbsp;Rachel Langley BiographyFollowing a first degree in Biological Sciences, Rachel undertook an apprenticeship in tapestry conservation at the Textile Conservation Centre, Hampton Court Palace. She has worked at the National Trust’s Textile Conservation Centre for over thirty years, specialising in tapestry conservation. Over her career, Rachel has project managed many large-scale projects, including several of the Gideon tapestries. Particular interests are the training and mentoring of future conservators and preserving the woven image in tapestry conservation. As part of her professional development Rachel undertook a sabbatical at the Rijksmuseum Textile Conservation Department to further understand their techniques in re-colouring re-weaves.&nbsp;&nbsp;Rachel is currently managing the conservation of a 17th century Flemish tapestry from the National Trust property Lyme Park.&nbsp;

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Gideon Tapestries

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