CMAS "Conservation & Museums Advisory Service"

06/08/2025

How do military museums keep people safe around some of the most hazardous items imaginable?

Our Senior Conservator, Alison Dwyer, recently spent an informative afternoon at the REME Museum with Curator Richard Davies, exploring how museums manage the risks of fi****ms, explosives, and radiation.

Richard and his team work hard behind the scenes to ensure everything on display, and in storage, is safe and secure. It all begins with knowing exactly what’s in the collection. From reviewing records to identifying potential hazards, every step is guided by strict legislation.

Sometimes, managing risk means calling in the specialists, like Radiation Protection Advisors or Fi****ms Officers, who help ensure everything is handled, stored, and displayed safely and legally.

A huge thank you to Richard for the warm welcome, the tour of the incredible displays, and for sharing his deep knowledge and experience. We’re excited to bring these insights to the upcoming Museum Development South West training this autumn: 'Reducing the Risks: Hazards in Collections'. Hope to see you there!

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05/08/2025

Fun and informative Train the Trainer day yesterday with Helena Jaeschke from Museum Development South West!

This session was part of our collaborative work on the Reducing the Risks: Hazards in Collections project—but the insights shared are relevant to all the training we deliver for staff and volunteers in museums and heritage organisations.

We explored key aspects of effective training, including:

- Understanding your audience’s background, expectations, and learning styles
- Refining your message and managing timing
- Designing clear, accessible content
- Engaging participants and handling common challenges

Top takeaways:

- Focus your training around the key message(s) you want your audience to remember
- Reassure and affirm good practice throughout
- Be ready to manage monopolisers, challengers, and silent rooms
- Use varied formats to suit different learning styles, and include check-back activities
- AEA: Always Explain Acronyms!

Huge thanks to Helena for sharing her expertise and making the day so enjoyable!

PS: in one of the photos, you’ll spot our intern Claire giving a test presentation titled “Cats”. Although cats can certainly cause a bit of chaos, they will unfortunately not be covered in our Hazards training!

01/08/2025

Want to sharpen your skills in photographic glass plate care?

Our Archives Conservator, Sophie, recently led in-house training for archive staff and volunteers on cleaning and rehousing glass plate negatives from the Local Studies collection at the Wiltshire and Swindon History Centre. These plates will be digitised for broader accessibility and then securely stored in one of the WSHC strongrooms for long-term preservation.

Later this year, Sophie will be running a Photographic Glass Plate Care: Cleaning and Packaging Essentials workshop for museum and archive professionals: https://wshc.org.uk/our-services/cmas/cmas-training-workshops/

Contact us if you want to take part – this workshop is filling up fast!

30/07/2025

Meet Claire Lam, our new conservation intern! Claire works at the Hong Kong Museum of Art 香港藝術館, and has recently completed a Graduate Diploma in Conservation Studies from West Dean College. She is doing her internship at CMAS to get more practical, hands-on experience in remedial conservation of 3D objects.

Among other things, Claire is working on these bone china and porcelain ceramics from the Royal Wootton Bassett Town Hall Museum, which has recently re-opened following a period of refurbishment. The broken plate and teapot lid will require cleaning, removal of discoloured adhesive repairs and overpainting, and careful reconstruction – projects which are perfect for hands-on learning and will make a huge difference for future access and display of these objects.

28/07/2025

Hidden behind a plain, unassuming cover is a beautiful handmade Nature Handbook created by the Swindon Rangers in 1929, during the early days of Girl Guiding in the UK. We love the neat handwriting and the beautifully preserved drawings of animals and plants, each page a testament to the care and curiosity of its young creators.

This remarkable piece was brought to our July Conservation Surgery at the Wiltshire and Swindon History Centre for assessment and potential treatment. It’s always a privilege to help preserve such unique items and ensure their stories continue to be shared.

If you have a special object in your collection and would like expert advice on its care and preservation, join us at our next free Conservation Surgery on 12th August: https://www.facebook.com/events/1399494784641251/1399494797974583

24/07/2025

What is the economic value of heritage—and are we doing enough to communicate it?

Our Senior Conservator, Alison Dwyer ACR, recently attended the National Heritage Science Forum Conference: Trends in Heritage Science and shared her reflections in a thoughtful blog post.

One moment that stood out was a keynote by Adala Leeson, Head of Socio-Economic Analysis and Evaluation at Historic England, who challenged heritage professionals to embrace the concept of “cultural heritage as capital.” As Alison notes: “Her message was clear: if we don’t improve how we communicate the value of heritage, we risk being overlooked and underfunded.”

This message really resonates with us at CMAS. As part of Wiltshire Council, we’re always thinking about the economic aspect of our work—whether it’s income-generating commercial conservation projects or helping local museums build sustainable strategies that support tourism and community engagement.

As conservators, we love the technical side of our work, but it’s inspiring to see more conversations about its wider social and economic value.

Read Alison’s full blog here:

Guest author: Alison Dwyer, ACR, Senior Conservator for the Conservation and Museums Advisory Service (CMAS). NHSF’s very first conference, ‘Trends in Heritage Science’ took place…

24/07/2025

Sharing this job opening for a Conservation Manager to join the team at the Roman Baths- a great opportunity for someone with experience in building conservation and archaeology: https://www.jobtrain.co.uk/bathnesjobs/Job/JobDetail?isPreview=Yes&jobid=1633

Do you have a passion for heritage, experience with buildings conservation and archaeology, and an interest in preserving a unique archaeological site for generations to come?

18/07/2025

What began as a chance find at a metal detecting rally in 2023 has grown into a major archaeological investigation in the Cotswolds. The discovery of two Roman cavalry swords led to a full-scale excavation, jointly directed by Historic England and Cotswold Archaeology. It revealed an extensive settlement spanning from the Early-Middle Iron Age to the Roman period. There may even be evidence of a Roman villa!

The swords were X-rayed at Historic England’s Fort Cumberland facility, which revealed that one of them featured decorative pattern welding, hinting at a high-status owner. Believed to be Roman spatha swords, typically used on horseback, their presence at the site raises intriguing questions.

Before going on display, the swords underwent conservation at CMAS, where our team also made an exciting discovery: preserved wood and fibres, likely remnants of the original scabbards.

We’re proud to have contributed to this fascinating project, and helped prepare these remarkable objects for exhibition. The swords will be on public display at the Corinium Museum in Cirencester from 2 August.

Read more via Historic England:
https://historicengland.org.uk/whats-new/news/iron-age-roman-settlement-willersey/

16/07/2025

Yesterday, our conservators gathered for an in-house skill-sharing session led by archives conservator Sophie Coles, who recently attended a leather conservation course run by West Dean College and The Leather Conservation Centre.

From books and parchment to archaeology, costume, and social history leather shows up across our specialisms - so it was great to discuss common issues like red rot, mould, cleaning, and repairs.

Thanks to Sophie for the brilliant samples and insights!

14/07/2025

Exciting News!
Back in May, we shared that our Object Conservator, Kayleigh Spring, had submitted her application for professional accreditation. We’re now thrilled to announce that Kayleigh has officially achieved accredited status and can now be referred to as Kayleigh Spring ACR! 👏
This prestigious recognition from The Institute of Conservation reflects her:
- Deep knowledge of conservation
- High level of professional competence
- Sound ethical judgement
- Commitment to best practice
The review panel noted:
“The candidate demonstrated a strong ability to critically reflect on projects and adapt approaches based on material behaviour, client expectations, and ethical obligations.”
This is a fantastic achievement and a testament to Kayleigh’s dedication to the highest standards in conservation.
Well done, Kayleigh!

11/07/2025

Reflecting on yesterday's National Heritage Science Forum UK Conference: Trends in Heritage Science and feeling inspired! 🌍✨
It was a brilliant day packed with thought-provoking talks, hands-on workshops, and exciting discussions about the future of heritage science. From exploring how we communicate the value of cultural heritage, to sustainable retrofitting of historic buildings, and cutting-edge digital innovations like robotic surveys and digital twinning—there was so much to take in and reflect on.
A personal highlight was the breakout session on open-access apps for preventive conservation—getting to test tools like HERIe and Collections Demography with the experts who built them was a real treat!
Huge thanks to NHSF and Sponsors for awarding our Senior Conservator, Alison Dwyer, a non-member bursary place— a great opportunity to attend, connect with such a wide range of professionals, and be part of these important conversations.

11/07/2025

📣 We’re excited to announce the return of our Practical Preservation Workshops!

Following a successful launch last year, we’re back with a new series of 1-day workshops focused on practical, cost-effective, and sustainable methods for looking after your collections.

These sessions are designed for staff and volunteers in small and medium-sized museums, though some would also benefit individuals caring for personal or family collections.

All workshops will be held at the Wiltshire and Swindon History Centre. For more information and to book your place, please contact us at [email protected].

🗓️ Now open for enrolment:

Cleaning Historic Silver – 2 Sept 2025, £60 pp
IPM Essentials for Museums and Historic Buildings – 7 Oct 2025, £60 pp
Photographic Glass Plate Care: Cleaning & Packaging Essentials – 4 Nov 2025, £60 pp
Mounting Flat Textiles for Display – 2 Dec 2025, £70 pp
Creating Microclimates: Practical Environmental Control for Museum Collections – 3 Jan 2026, £60 pp

More details coming soon—watch this space!