Spalding Gentlemen's Society is working to preserve the past for future generations

Dr Martin Blake of Spalding Gentlemen's Society writes the latest Gems From The Archive column...

The work of a museum doesn’t all take place front of house. In fact, for most museums the items on display constitute a small fraction of their total collection.

Space restrictions inevitably force curators to be selective, to give priority to items they think will be of most interest to their target audience. But some are simply too fragile to put on display, or are awaiting the work necessary to ensure they can be preserved for future generations.

Behind the scenes at the museum of Spalding Gentlemen’s Society (SGS), a dedicated team of volunteers carries out much of this

exacting but vital work, under the supervision of head of conservation Mary Evans.

The varied nature of the museum’s collections means that a whole range of skills is required, particularly as they began to be built up from the founding of the Society in 1710.

Books in particular are vulnerable: damp, insect infestation and general wear and tear take their toll over the years. What’s more, the building in which the museum has been located since 1910, whilst attractive enough to the eye, does not in every respect provide ideal conditions for preservation.

The conservation of fabrics can cause particular worries due to infestation by beetle larvae, popularly (though not necessarily affectionately) known as ‘woolly bears’.

These attack the fibres, and are so resilient that the only reliable way to deal with them is to give the affected item an extended period in deep freeze. In the past, volunteers have had their arm twisted to make space in a domestic freezer, but the Society has recently received a grant to buy its own purpose-built freezer.

Some conservation work is so specialised that the Society has no choice but to pay for external expertise, and this is certainly true of paintings.

SGS can’t afford to pay the full cost of this work, and is dependent on contributions from grant funding. Demand for support for this work is high, and the Society has to compete against other museums and art galleries.

One success story, however, is the painted panel of the River Welland in central Spalding, recently unveiled at the museum. It had become so dirty that much of the original detail was invisible, but after restoration it can be seen in its original state.

It shows the area west of the High Bridge as it was, probably in the middle years of the 18th century.

Examples of the efforts of the in-house conservation team can be seen in the before-and-after photos, featuring a collection of decorative shells and a box of macabre rattlesnake tails .

But apart from the satisfaction of seeing a complex task successfully completed, there is arguably a deeper significance to this work.

As Mary Evans puts it: “The items we work on were crafted by someone, and represent the fruit of their skills and labour. I’d like to think that, by preserving their handiwork and restoring it to its original condition, we’re in some way enabling them to live on.”

How to find out more

The SGS museum in Broad Street, Spalding is open every Wednesday from 11am-1pm, the third Sunday of every month from 2pm-4pm, and on other special heritage days.

You can also keep in touch with us, and see some of the delights of our collections, on our website at sgsoc.org

Through social media, we will try to keep you up to date with everything which is going on within the Society: check out our Facebook page, find us on Twitter at @sg_soc, on Instagram at sgs1732 or email us at outreach@sgsoc.org