Lmst

On the conservation bench today is two pieces of parchment sewn together. It was surface cleaned using chemical sponge (see upper left corner of second image).

Mask and gloves on for personal protection. Cleaning this to increase text visibility for cataloguing.

Lambeth Palace Library
Arches/E/4/

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Background: grey conservation bench
Foreground: Two open box halves with slightly discoloured parchment stacked. Most prominent piece is covered in black fine dirt. Second piece of parchment is heavily creased and crumpled with heavy layer of black dirt.

Background: Formerly white tray made of blotter. Upper left corner full of black sponge pieces.
Foreground: Most prominent piece is heavily discoloured changing from pale cream to orange/brown. covered in black fine dirt. Nearly disconnected piece is still heavily creased and crumpled.

On the conservation bench today, yes on Saturday for our once a month weekend opening, is a 15-16th century parchment roll that I'm conserving.

The joins between membranes are delaminating and need re-adhering before it goes on display early February 2025.

Lambeth Palace Library
MS 1170

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A roll of parchment with black manuscript with red and green graphic elements. Royal names are decorated with gold. The parchment membranes are delaminating at the right side.

A roll of parchment with black manuscript with red and green graphic elements. Royal names are decorated with gold. The parchment membranes are re-adhered on the right side.

Sometimes #conservation work involves rectifying previous conservation work.

In this case a previous archivist and/or conservator thought "closed" items should be removed from this volume. There is even skimmed paper remaining on some of the guards.

Now that the records are open, I've hinged the material back to their original locations.

We no longer do this, making extensive guard books or removing "closed" items.

Fisher series

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Two overlapping horizontal strips of paper, guards, against a piece of manilla, in a scrapbook style volume.

Beneath: A sunlit piece of paper with typewriter text projecting towards the viewer.

Returning to exhibition preparation. As soon as the display cases are locked, we begin (actually, resume) working on the next exhibition.

This letter from 1815 is on beautiful handmade paper with iron gall ink. I've removed the item from a guard book. I'm using flexible sheet magnets (right) to hold the edge flat between release layers and blotter while removing the remnants of the guard (left).

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A A5ish size cream paper flat on a surface lined with blotter. Brown/black manuscript across half the page. A brown square located at the right lower corner. A pair of tweezers and micro-spatula arranged to the right.

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder.

This can definitely be the case with stabilised archives. Evidence of previous storage conditions show on these two pages including water damage and mould.

Now cleaned, sized and repaired, this item is ready for consultation in the Reading Room.

#PaperConservation
#OnTheConservationBench
#Archives

A4+ size paper, bluish in colour. Discolouration at the centre fold line. A brown/black mottled area at the edge.

On the conservation bench today, yes on Saturday for our once a month weekend opening, is a #book from 1552 for which I am writing an exhibition condition report.

The left endleaf is paper #ManuscriptWaste. Beneath the pastedown and just visible at the tail is a parchment manuscript #fragment.

Lambeth Palace Library
1552.1**

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Book open at left endleaf. Left endleaf has a donation plate dated 1967.

Right endleaf is manuscript waste rotated 90 degrees. Manuscript is iron gall ink.

Book open at left endleaf that is manuscript waste rotated 90 degrees. Manuscript is iron gall ink.
Right page is the title page The Christen State of Matrymonye

Parchment stub made of recycled manuscript waste.

On the conservation bench today is a #book from 1665 for which I am writing a condition report and applying a couple very small paper repairs.

Sometimes I get to spend time looking closely at wonderful things. In this case, preparing for the next exhibition.

Lambeth Palace Library
A82.6/M29

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#BookConservation
#OnTheConservationBench
#Exhibitions

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A book with the left board held open. Left endleaf cream machine made paper.
Title page on right: A cloud of witnesses; or, The sufferers mirrour. Discolouration at edges. Staining in centre.

On the conservation bench today is an organisational #photographic collection retrieved from a building refurbishment. Sometimes I get to take things apart rather than putting items back together.

Removed from acidic frames and now housed in archival portfolios. Ready for cataloguing and imaging.

Lambeth Palace Library
L-2023-78

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#OnTheConservationBench
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