The Woodchurch Village Life Museum was recently awarded a grant from the Association of Independent Museums (AIM) and the Pilgrim Trust for a professionally conducted audit of our collection by an accredited conservator. The audit assesses the degree to which items on display and in store are affected by various forms of deterioration—including damp, mould, pests, and exposure to light—and suggests remedial action to prevent or minimise further damage. We were particularly concerned about some of the larger items in the Museum grounds that are completely exposed to the weather—the Aveling & Porter living van and the K6 telephone box immediately outside the Museum entrance, as well as Ken Chapman’s 1960s milk float near the main gate—along with the partially covered wagons, tractors and agricultural machinery in the open-fronted cart shed.
The audit was carried out by Peter Meehan of the Historic Metalwork Conservation Company based in Much Wenlock, Shropshire, who spent two days (10–11 February) painstakingly examining the collection in bitterly cold weather. The detailed report Peter produced highlighted the excellent work of our team of volunteers and made several recommendations for materials, techniques and specialists to deal with the objects requiring more challenging conservation and restoration.
Importantly, the audit will allow us to bid for additional grant funding for professional conservation work to ensure the collection can be enjoyed by everyone for many more years to come. Our thanks to AIM and the Pilgrim Trust for generously awarding the Museum this grant.
