Insights and behind the scenes from our palaces
Kew the Music: George III and Queen Charlotte's Instruments
15 June 2017
The reign of George III and Queen Charlotte saw a flourishing of arts and culture in Britain. The country's prospering cultural scene was undoubtedly encouraged by the royal couple's personal love of the arts.
Beating the Bounds: A centuries-old tradition
19 May 2017
On the evening of Ascension Day, a group from every parish and various governing bodies in England used to walk around the parameters of their land. Each boundary post would be beaten to mark it out in the minds of the younger generations and the clergy would pray for the land along the way. This tradition was known as Beating the Bounds.
Washing Historic Tapestries: Making sure our colours don't run...
12 May 2017
Have you ever washed something and realised too late that the dye wasn't fast? Imagine how that would feel if the object you were washing was over 400 years old. So it's pretty brave to wash a historic tapestry don't you think?
Grand Duchess Xenia Romanov: A royal Russian resident at Hampton Court Palace
06 April 2017
On 6 April 1917, in the midst of violence and unrest, Grand Duchess Xenia Romanov left St Petersburg on a train to the Crimea, never to return again. Xenia's journey into exile eventually brought her to Hampton Court Palace.
Happy New Year! Queen Anne's Throne Canopy Conservation
10 January 2017
Happy New Year and welcome back! For our first post of 2017 we would like to take you behind the scenes and give you an insight into the trial installation we did at Hampton Court Palace in November 2016.
Throne Canopy - Going Up!
09 December 2016
We recently moved out of the conservation studio and into the (rather chilly) Queen's Guard Chamber at Hampton Court where we have been busy with the next exciting stage of our project - the trial installation.
Hercules takes a bath
16 November 2016
The Death of Hercules tapestry was recently removed from the Great Watching Chamber at Hampton Court Palace for conservation reasons. We have now begun the two-year conservation programme, starting with wet cleaning in our custom-built facility.
Queen Anne's Throne Canopy Conservation: Come and See for Yourself
15 November 2016
The main conservation treatment of the cloth of state from the throne canopy has now been completed and it has been hanging in our workroom for a week while we carry out some all-important structural checks. This will confirm that our interventions have done their job and are supporting the damask as intended.
Young Queen Victoria's shoes in the Royal Ceremonial Dress Collection
11 November 2016
A recent trip to an auction house nestled in the heart of the Cotswolds yielded some very exciting results. We came back to London laden with 15 items of dress worn by Queen Victoria and her children.