How to Conserve your Church's Contents
This path guides you through the necessary steps for conserving your church's artworks, furnishings and fittings, including memorials in the churchyard.
1. Identify the Need for Conservation
1. Identify the Need for Conservation
If you have discovered signs of decay or damage to an artwork or object in your church you should contact your inspecting architect and DAC who will advise you on how to select an accredited conservator and how to proceed. Your architect may also want to investigate the cause of the damage and whether it affects the whole building, as for example in the case of water damage. This may need to be resolved before conservation takes place.
2. Choosing a Conservator
Your DAC Secretary and inspecting architect can advise you on choosing a suitable, accredited conservator. In the first place, you should consult the Conservation Register, a database of accredited conservators in the UK and Ireland run by the Institute of Conservation. For organ builders, the Accreditation Register of the Institute of British Organ Building provides an equivalent database.
Accreditation, such as the PACR-scheme (Professional Accreditation of Conservator-Restorers) in the UK, is an indication that the conservator has been accepted by the accrediting body as having the required training and experience, fulfils the highest standards of the profession and works within the professional guidelines and codes of ethics of the accrediting body.
Particularly, for more important and complex items, it may be advisable to approach several conservators and compare their approaches and estimates. If you are applying for outside funding, some grant giving bodies will expect you to do this. It is sensible to ask a conservator for referees, such as past customers, and ask about their experience, before you make a decision. It may be helpful to discuss with your architect too.
3. The Conservator's Report
You should ask your chosen conservator to prepare a report which will include his or her assessment of the object's condition, the causes of deterioration, proposed treatments, recommendations for future care and an estimate.
In order to write the proposal, most conservators will need to see the object and its context in person and you will need to provide them with more detailed information, such as the specific problem you want addressed and the anticipated future use, display and storage of the object.
It is recommended you consult your inspecting architect and DAC on the proposals; they will be able to advise you on their implications. The Church Buildings Council has prepared guidelines for the minimum information it requires in conservator's reports and organbuilder's reports.
Conservator's reports are required for a faculty application and will also help you plan the long-term care of the object. When you apply for a faculty, make sure you have enough information to show in detail what the conservator proposes to do.
4. Finance
A Conservator's Report is also essential documentation for grant-aid applications. Be aware that there is a fee required for the report. However, there are some grants available to cover these costs.
Even for the conservation of small objects it is advisable to draw up a budget based on the conservator's estimate. This can be a basic document listing your income and expenditure. While drawing up a budget plan can seem daunting, a carefully and realistically costed plan will be enormously helpful, both for demonstrating your effective management to potential funders and steering the project. Before submitting your budget to potential funding bodies, get a competent third party to check your budget for accuracy and comprehensibility.
Funderfinder, a UK charity producing resources for grant-seekers, provides a free software called Budget Yourselves which provides advice about the process of making a budget, its contents, and how to work out accurate costs.
Depending on the type of your project, you may be eligible for grant-aid. In addition, you will also need to do some fundraising yourself. Most funders are more likely to assist you if you can demonstrate that you are actively trying to raise money yourself. The Funding pages of this website give further and more detailed advice on grants, funding and fundraising.
Make sure that you have all the necessary funding before you give the go ahead. For bigger projects it may be necessary to split the project into several stages which can proceed while funds are being raised for the next stage.
5. The Legal Process
Before any conservation work is undertaken you will need to apply for a faculty. Your application needs to be accompanied by the conservator's report and provide a detailed specification of the works to be carried out.
For structures in the churchyard which are listed in their own right (e.g. some tombs or walls), you will also need to apply for listed building consent if you are making any alterations to the structure. Consult your local authority conservation officer.
6. Commissioning the Work
The conservator who executes the work may not necessarily be the same as the one who wrote the report. Composite objects of more than one material may need to be conserved by specialists from a number of fields. The author of the report may also delegate the execution of the works to another conservator.
It is common for the conservator to discover further information during their conservation work which might alter the initial treatment proposal. In this case, you should be consulted on any changes or additional work. Remember that changes to the proposals may need further approval through the faculty process and from grant givers.
7. The Final Report
Documentation is an important part of professional conservation and after the completion of the works you should receive a final report. This report should give details of the conservation techniques and materials applied, accompanied by photographs of the object before, during and after treatment. The final report is an important source of information for possible future treatments and should be kept together with the initial treatment proposal in a safe place.
Once the repairs works have been completed, do not forget to send a certificate of completion to the diocesan registry.
November 2007
Further Information
ICON/Conservation Register Guidance on Choosing and Working with a Conservator
(available on the Conservation Register website)
