NORFOLK Museums & Archaeology Service
Conservation Techniques

Norfolk Museums Conservation Department

This is an imageOur Conservation Department comprises of a team of conservators and conservation technicians with a variety of specialisms and wide experience covering the field of conservation and collections care. We are professionally qualified or have received recognized training through in-house programmes and within the team we have accredited staff by the professional body, Institute of Conservation (ICON).

Our objective is to preserve the collections held by the Norfolk Museums & Archaeology Service (NMAS). We aim to promote and raise awareness and the standards of collection care across our many sites as well as elsewhere around the region. In addition to caring for the stored collections, we have been involved in many major display projects over the last twelve years. These have involved large scale decanting of collections from their museums, the preparation and conservation of objects for new displays, and the installation of showcases and galleries. NMAS also has a dynamic and continually changing exhibition programme which generates a significant proportion of our work.

This is an imageThe team’s experience and wide ranging specialisms cover the day to day work of object conservation, condition assessments, specialist packing, conservation mounts and exhibition installation. Occasionally, we also work with specialist contract conservators such as paintings, stone, and textiles conservators to enhance our department’s skills and contribute to the delivery of projects. We focus on preventive conservation methods e.g. environmental monitoring, storage, and integrated pest management to prolong the life of the collections. Our work also includes advocacy amongst our colleagues, to the wider public and across the region in the heritage community.