Insights and behind the scenes from our palaces
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.
Caroline of Ansbach: The Brainiest Princess
03 October 2017
George Augustus of Hanover and his wife, Caroline of Ansbach arrived in London in 1714, in the train of the new king, George I, George Augustus's father.
Queen Anne's Throne Canopy Conservation: Almost There!
27 September 2017
These past few months we've been busy finishing the Queen Anne throne canopy conservation; tying together all the loose ends ready for its display at Kensington Palace.
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.
A Royal History of Princesses and Music
17 July 2017
When Caroline of Ansbach moved with the Hanoverian court to London in 1714, Britain saw the start of a new era of princess-led musical connoisseurship.
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.