The C4W blog documents the sessions, which are a completely new way of engaging people, who live with mental health, in heritage and creativity:
Conservation for Wellbeing Session 1, London Metropolitan Archives 10th Jan 2020
People came from SMART’s base in Chelsea by the Number 19 bus to LMA at Farringdon. The session began at 11.30, when we met at the Huntley Room, then Caroline de Stefani, Head of the Conservation Studio, took us on a tour of strong rooms with new and old roller racking. Climate is controlled by the building’s thermal mass to be at a regular temperature of 17 degrees, with relative humidity of 45 – 50%. We also went into a film store, where the temperature was lower to reduce relative humidity, trying to slow deterioration of the film stock.
We broke for lunch, then went into the Conservation Studio, where Caroline showed us the wet area, demonstrated a humidity chamber for working on parchment, and identified some of the equipment, including guillotines, presses, and a book measure. She introduced us to a colleague, Georgia, who talked about a volume she is starting to work on, and also showed an ‘after’, a re-bound and cleaned set of document. We then looked at 19th Century volumes of documents from St Luke’s Hospital – registers and case books, as well as photographs from Banstead Hospital in the1920s and 30s. Next session will involve making boxes…
C4W is funded by City Bridge Trust and run by The Restoration Trust, in partnership with Icon, London Metropolitan Archives (LMA), St Mary Abbots Rehabilitation and Training (SMART) and with research support from University College London (UCL).
Icon supports high quality conservation outcomes for C4W through the involvement of Icon accredited members Helen Lindsay ACR the C4W Coordinator and Caroline De Stefini ACR the C4W Conservation Lead and LMA Studio Manager.
