Insights and behind the scenes from our palaces
Protecting wildlife and their habitat at Home Park
22 November 2024
Park Ranger Eleanor Evetts explores the importance of nature conservation efforts at Home Park at Hampton Court Palace.
The History of the Abraham Tapestries at Hampton Court
15 November 2024
Tudor tapestries were the epitome of cultural sophistication and a symbol of the lucky owner’s accomplishments and values: highly coloured, glittering expositions of magnificence and success. Here, Curator Brett Dolman explores how the 'Abraham' tapestries came to be at Hampton Court, and their meaning to those who gazed upon them in the 16th century.
Things are looking up! Conserving our upper outer valances of Queen Caroline's state bed
08 November 2024
Work on Queen Caroline’s State Bed, which we care for on behalf of the Royal Collection Trust, continues in the Conservation Studio at Hampton Court Palace. We have now moved up to the top of the bed with the upper outer valances.
Conserving Henry VIII's Abraham Tapestries
18 October 2024
Textile Treatment Conservator Alice Young introduces a new major project at Historic Royal Palaces, to keep the Abraham tapestries looking their best for future generations.
Using Heritage Science to Conserve Queen Caroline's State Bed
13 September 2024
Work on Queen Caroline’s much-loved State bed, which we care for on behalf of the Royal Collection Trust, continues at Hampton Court Palace and our attentions are now drawn to protecting the feet of this priceless historic object.
Queen Caroline’s State bed is Back!... on Display
09 April 2024
Go behind the scenes with the Conservation team at Hampton Court Palace, who are continuing their work on Queen Caroline's much-loved State Bed.
Royal Style in the Making: Meet the toile designers
09 November 2021
Textile Treatment Supervisor Libby Thompson introduces a collection of toiles inspired by royal designers, which opened the Royal Style in the Making exhibition.
Caring for the Tower of London through lockdown
11 May 2021
While the Tower of London was closed to the public during the Covid-19 pandemic, much work was underway to protect the fabric of the building and the future of the palace. Assistant Curator Alfred Hawkins reveals one of the important projects that he has been working on behind the scenes.
Conservation of an 18th century headboard: Secrets of a State Bed
13 March 2020
As part of our Secrets of a State Bed series, Conservator Viola Nicastro explains the process of conserving the headboard of Queen Caroline's State Bed, and reveals more of its secrets.
Conservation and discoveries in our paper collections
06 February 2020
We have around 25,000 works of art on paper in Historic Royal Palaces' collection. While many are on display, the vast majority are held in storage. These are delicate items and it's essential to conserve and store them correctly in order to preserve them for posterity.