When I saw that the Museum of the Royal Navy were offering a student placement through the SWW DTP in object conservation, I leapt at the chance to apply. I am currently studying for a PhD in Archaeology but before that, I had been working and volunteering in the heritage sector in conservation. I was therefore really excited about this opportunity to expand my skills and knowledge in this area.

I got the position and spent six weeks working closely with Morgan Creed, the conservator at the museum. I spent most of my time conserving objects that were going on display in a newly refurbished gallery, but I also helped Morgan out with some of her other duties as a conservator. These included monitoring environmental and pest data on board the ships and installing a protective backing to W. L. Wyllie’s Panorama of Trafalgar. You can read more about the work I did here (https://www.nmrn.org.uk/news-events/nmrn-blog/student-isabel-shares-her-conservation-placement).

Through this placement, I gained new skills and experience in conservation and learnt about how conservators work alongside curators and other museum teams. Whilst this will not be immediately useful for my research, I am interested in working in this area once I have completed my PhD and this opportunity will be extremely valuable for my future career.

Picture credit: www.nmrn.org.uk /  @NatMuseumRN

Brass treadplate from H.M.S. Orion before and after treatment

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