APPENDIX 1
EFFECTIVE PARTNERSHIPS
IN THE
NORTH WEST
BRING EFFECTIVE
CONSERVATION
The scale of investment from Lancashire County
Council and the North West RDA in improving conservation services
illustrates the challenges of funding effective collections care
on the levels of funding the regional MLAs are able to contribute.
Lancashire Museums have had a small conservation
team for 20 years. In 2001 this team took on most of the conservators
formerly employed by the North West Museums Service in Blackburn
and plans were made to integrate them into a single conservation
service on one site.
The site chosen was a disused church on the
estate of the Lancashire Museums HQ in Preston. This was an empty
shell following repairs to the roof, spire and fabric supported
by the Heritage Lottery Fund in 2001-02. The conversion of the
church to form workshops and studios cost circa £1.8
million. Of this, £1.4 million came from Lancashire County
Council and £300k from the North West Regional Development
Agency.
The facility is on two floors with a three tonne
floor loading on the first floor. There is a large goods hoist
and high ceilings and doors to allow large items to be treated.
There is a sophisticated air handling system with separate extract
for dust and chemicals as well as conventional ventilation. There
is underfloor heating to reduce dust from convection currents.
There are dedicated studios for paintings, archaeology,
textiles, paper and natural history. The building is prepared
for laser cleaning though the equipment has not yet been installed.
There is a small library with the books being made available through
the County Councils public catalogue.
Each studio has windows so there can be secure
and safe public access. There are two dedicated seminar spaces
so that training and public activities can be undertaken. Video-conferencing
equipment has been installed to allow for remote communication.
When fully operational the Lancashire Conservation
Studios will form a key part of Conservation Provision in the
North West. Lancashire already provides services for a large number
of museums in the North West of England. These include the Imperial
War Museum North, The National Football Museum, as well as a range
of small museums. The new studios will in time have a full programme
of public and educational activities.
Lancashire Museums is a "First partner"
to the North West Hub and is working with the Hub and MLA North
West to maximise the regional impact of this investment.
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