Insights and behind the scenes from our palaces
Kensington Palace Gains a Throne Canopy
06 December 2017
After its doors briefly closed, the Presence Chamber at Kensington Palace has reopened with a throne canopy sitting pride of place as you enter the room.
Queen Victoria's petticoat: underwear 'patched'
21 November 2017
In the last post we saw how Queen Victoria's petticoat was wet cleaned. Now the cream lawn cotton looks a lot brighter and the creasing has visibly reduced. There is still a bit of treatment left to do, as there are splits in the skirt, bodice and lace, and some of the buttonholes at the back fastening have frayed.
Queen Victoria's Petticoat takes a bath
02 November 2017
In our previous post we learned about the condition of Queen Victoria's petticoat. Today I want to focus on the yellow look of the cotton and the staining. The question: to clean or not to clean?
Queen Victoria's petticoat magnified: conservation begins
10 October 2017
When I heard I was going to lead the project to conserve this petticoat I got very excited as it is a rare example of royal underwear, with a very personal connection to Queen Victoria. As a new acquisition for our Royal Ceremonial Dress Collection I had to start from the beginning to really get to know the object.
Queen Victoria's petticoat: a rare survivor from her early wardrobe
19 September 2017
This magnificent petticoat is a recent acquisition to the Royal Ceremonial Dress Collection and requires conservation for both storage and display purposes.
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.
Hampton Court Palace as a Victorian art gallery
15 January 2016
This little watercolour, painted by an unknown artist in the 1850s, is a revealing glimpse of what it was like to visit Hampton Court Palace in the 19th century.