Weston Park, the stately home on the Shropshire - Staffordshire border has welcomed The Hamilton Kerr Institute for their 30th year working on the Estate. Part of the University of Cambridge, the institute teaches the next generation of picture conservators.
This year the last of the 300 paintings in Weston’s Park collection have been treated for the first time. The most difficult paintings had been left until last, as four paintings on the walls of the Family Staircase have been taken down to be worked on.
The full length portrait of George, 4th Earl of Bradford is one of the largest in the collection and is believed to have been in its frame since it was painted in around 1905. Manoeuvring the pictures safely down from their fixings has been a major undertaking, requiring scaffolding and a team of around 15 people to safely escort the works of art off of the walls.
Following the work there is now a noticeable difference to the paintings, with colours and strokes more defined - giving the paintings a new lease of life.
Gareth Williams, Curator for the Weston Park Foundation has said “We are indebted to Dr Mary Kempski and her team of conservators from the Hamilton Kerr Institute and always look forward to the work that they undertake. The work often reveals radical improvements in the visual appearance of the great works of art in Weston Park’s collection.”
