The Leather Conservation Centre

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An internationally renowned organisation offering a comprehensive leather conservation service.

The Leather Conservation Centre was established in 1978 and is an internationally renowned organisation offering a comprehensive service in the conservation and restoration of objects (including books and other archival materials) of historic, cultural and artistic importance made wholly or partly of leather or its related materials. Clients include museums, libraries, historic houses and many more. The Leather Conservation Centre also supplies a small range of materials for leather conservation and leather conservation publications.If you have any questions or would like a quotation for conservation work, please do not hesitate to get in touch.

15/10/2026

Red rot deterioration is one of the most devastating degradation processes that occurs to particular types of leather. This webinar will cover what exactly red rot is, what the catalysts are and what methods conservators have at their disposal to manage it.

No prior experience of red rot or leather conservation is necessary. This webinar would be useful not just to conservators but anybody working with historic leather objects or archivists/heritage professionals who would like to gain a deeper understanding of red rot.

Available to book now via our link in bio
Course Leader: Rosie Bolton
Location: Online
Date: Thurs 11th February 2027
Time: 13:00-15:00
Cost: £5 Per Person

14/10/2026

Our Monthly Open Studios are not the only way to see first-hand what is going on at the LCC. This window into the studio from Public & Plants Canopy gives a bird’s eye view on what we are up to and a glimpse into a day in the life of a conservation studio!

13/10/2026

This crocodile leather gladstone bag belonged to the father of our client, whose initials remain stamped into the front. The bag is thought to date to the late nineteenth or early twentieth century.

Constructed from rigid crocodile leather over the structure of a rigid frame, with nickel plated brass fittings and hand stitched seams, the bag had survived more than a century of use. But time had taken its toll. The leather had become cracked and fragile, areas of loss had developed around the corners and handle, and active mould was present inside the pocket lining.

Over the next few posts, we will be sharing how we approached the treatment of this object, balancing structural stability, material preservation, and respect for its history.

12/10/2026

Discover the historic art of letter locking just in time for Valentine's Day.

Before envelopes existed, people folded and sealed letters in ingenious ways to protect their contents, sometimes with surprising elegance and hidden meaning.

In this evening workshop, you will learn several traditional folding techniques, experiment with replica historic papers, and create your own locked message to take home or give to someone special. A perfect blend of craft, history, and creativity. All materials provided and no experience required.

Available to book via our link in bio
Course Leaders: Beth Elford and Rosie Bolton
Location: LCC Studio
Date: Thursday 11th February 2027
Time: 17:30 - 19:30
Cost: £35

10/10/2026

Meet The Course Facilitator: Sally Pointer - Heritage Education

Our upcoming 1-Day Course: The Stone Age Sewing Kit is led by experimental archaeologist and heritage educator, Sally Pointer.

Sally has worked in the heritage and museum education industry for over thirty years and has a degree in Archaeology & Medieval English and an MSc in Experimental Archaeology. She is currently an Honorary Associate Research Fellow at Exeter University

Since going freelance in 2010 Sally has specialised in researching and teaching skills and topics which we take for granted today but which have exceptionally long histories. Her work takes her across time from the palaeolithic to the present, offering practical tuition and craft insights both at in-person classes and via her books and online content including YouTube tutorials. In 2024 she was presented with the Prehistoric Society’s ‘President’s Award’ for her services to education about prehistory.

She believes very strongly that if you want to understand where a craft is going today, you have to understand where it comes from, and The Stone Age Sewing Kit starts right at the beginning, tracing the evidence for early clothing and leatherwork strategies, and exploring the use of core materials such as bone awls, needles and sinew thread whilst participants assemble their own prehistory inspired kit of tools and design a leather sewing bag.

09/10/2026

Custom Housing...

Conservation does not end with the treatment. How an object is stored after treatment is just as important as what is done to it in the studio.

A custom conservation grade box was constructed from archival quality materials, with internal supports designed to hold each object securely in place during handling and transit. Ties prevent movement, and the objects can be viewed in their stored position meaning they do not need to be lifted out and handled unnecessarily. This both minimises the risks of handling the objects themselves and, given the lead content of the riding crop's terminal end, to the people handling them.

Considered housing ensures that the objects we treat not only have their current condition improved but that they are protected for the long term.

08/10/2026

Guided by LCC staff, this friendly, informal workshop introduces foundational bookbinding skills, from paper decoration (marbling and paste paper) to learning about different book structures and binding techniques, including sewing on cords and tapes, cloth and leather bindings and decorative elements such gold tooling and sewing endbands

Participants will create a series of small hand-bound books to take home and gain the confidence to continue exploring bookbinding in future sessions. Open to all, no previous experience required.

Tickets for a group of 6 sessions over the course of 6 months are available for £150 (working out at £25 per session), as well as single tickets for drop in sessions (£25 per session).

Available to book now via our link in bio
Course Leader: Rosie Bolton
Location: LCC Studio
Dates: 7th February, 7th March, 4th April, 2nd May, 6th June, 4th July
Time: 10:30am - 12:30pm
Cost: £150 for 6 sessions/£25 per drop-in session

07/10/2026

We are delighted to be featured in The World of Interiors

‘The Hide Seekers’ takes readers behind the scenes at the Leather Conservation Centre, exploring the craft, knowledge and specialist skills involved in caring for leather and the many stories held within it.

From historic gilt leather and fragile sheepskin to mid-century furniture, bookbindings and some rather unexpected materials, the article explores the remarkable variety of objects that make their way to our conservation studio, and the expertise needed to understand and care for them.

Read the full article, The Hide Seekers, by Millen Brown-Ewens, here: https://www.worldofinteriors.com/story/leather-conservation-centre-leicester

06/10/2026

Treatment...

With both the scabbard and the riding crop suffering from the same underlying challenges, brittle, acidic leather with significant surface loss. Our treatment approach followed a similar path for each.

All areas of leather were first consolidated with Klucel G at 2% in isopropanol, a cellulose-based consolidant that imparts strength to fragile leather fibres and minimises the loss from powdering..

Where stitching had been lost and leather had become misaligned, the edges were carefully repositioned and reinforced with Japanese tissue toned to match the surrounding leather, adhered with Lascaux acrylic dispersion adhesive. Vulnerable areas of loss on the riding crop were similarly patched with toned Japanese tissue. Finally, Renaissance wax with a light tint of added pigment was applied to the surface of both objects to improve appearance and provide a degree of surface protection.

While the treatment results are visible, the history of both objects remains present on their surface too.

01/10/2026

A three-day deep dive in the primary materials and techniques needed to stabilise and preserve leather and skin materials for practicing conservators. This course aims to give a practical grounding and focuses on exploring these materials to prepare you for the next object with leather or skin material components that comes to your bench.

The course material presumes previous understanding of conservation ethics and confidence in differentiating between different types of skin based materials.

Course Leader: Rosie Bolton
Location: LCC Studio
Date: Wed 27th - Fri 29th Jan 2027
Time: 10:00-16:00 Daily
Cost: £660

Contact [email protected] to book a place. Please note we keep group sizes small so courses can sell out quickly.

Address

The Leather Conservation Centre, Canopy
Northampton
LE16WB

Telephone

01604719766

Website

http://www.leatherconservation.org/

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