About Me

I am an accredited conservator with over 10 years of experience specialising in the care of leather and skin-based material. I am currently Manager of Conservation and Research at the Leather Conservation Centre (LCC) in Northampton.

I have worked across Europe, North America and the Middle East within various types of institutions including universities, regional and national museums and private practice, and have experience of managing large conservation projects, museum decants and installations, condition surveys, and research projects. In my current role I also run various professional CPD courses on the conservation of leather and related materials and am the current chair of the Archaeological Leather Group - https://archleathgrp.org.uk/

Working with objects
The LCC works with a vast range of objects made wholly or in part of leather, skin, and related materials, from archaeological shoes to family heirlooms, vintage car interiors and modern sculpture. Our client base extends the UK and internationally ranging from large institutions to private clients.

My work centres around providing appropriate, best practice care for heritage objects using up to date techniques that are grounded in scientific evidence, material expertise and years of experience. Bespoke treatments are created for each object based on assessment of tangible and intangible information collected to ensure that any intervention honours the myriad of values imbued within the object. All work is done in accordance with national and international guidelines and codes of ethics and sustainable approaches are prioritised throughout.

Working with clients
Conservation work should be transparent, documented and justified. To ensure this, I work with clients throughout the duration of a project making sure all options are discussed, and each stage is fully understood and agreed upon before intervention is carried out. I advocate on behalf of the object within its specific context and justify treatments from this perspective.

Working with a range of clients and object types, I also understand that the intended future use of the object can be an important factor in treatment. Communication with the client and flexibility in approach is key to a successful outcome, whilst maintaining a firm ethical underpinning. Ongoing recommendations for care are provided for all projects and consultancy is available to support best practice in preventive conservation.

Teaching 
The LCC delivers several regular CPD courses focused on the care and conservation of skin-based materials including an annual course at West Dean College and an Introduction to Archaeological Leather and it’s conservation, in collaboration with Historic England. We also develop bespoke inhouse training for larger institutions, examples being Science Museum Group and Norfolk Museum Services. The LCC also host regular student placements from national and international conservation training programmes.