Question: How can you tell the age of an object you are conserving?
Answer: There are lots of different aspects we would consider – the context in which we first access the object; where it came through, its condition, form of composition, style etc.

Question: What’s your biggest challenge when conserving an object?
Answer: It all depends on what the object presents as we often find there are many challenges related to specific problems. These can be scale or type – or particular forms of deterioration, or levels of previous restoration. So, the biggest challenge really is fully understanding the object before any conservation can take place.

Question: What triggered your interest in conservation? And what do you love most about your work?
Answer: As a child I collected things and always liked art and history... This seemed to combine into conservation where you could enjoy the blend of history with practical activities. I enjoy working with people with shared interests and the practical aspects of conservation decision-making and processes. The ethical and professional aspects of working with objects and clients is also very interesting - which reinforces why I love what I do. 

Question: What are you working on at the moment?
Answer: The department has a lovely selection of ceramics and related materials objects – some from an archaeological setting, and also decorative art objects from private and public collections. We work on many different materials; a student recently completed a fantastic painted plaster bust of David Livingstone and we have large and small items – from a very large Maiolica two-handled vase to a 19th century reverse-printed glass picture. The beauty of our work is the diversity of cultural heritage objects that we work with – spanning type, time periods and cultures.

Question: Why metals conservation?
Answer: There are so many amazing objects made of metals and there are so many interesting challenges in preserving them. It’s a large field too even though it’s specialised, it’s still quite broad and interesting. 

Question: What's your favourite thing about being a conservator?
The opportunity to put together working with your hands and understanding objects and their history. It’s perfect mixture of craft and science. 

Question: What’s your favourite piece of equipment in the lab and why?
Answer: The Universal Testing Machine a.k.a. ‘The Tensometer’. Why: it can be used to find out really interesting things about the strength and properties of conservation materials in tension and compression. 

Question: Favourite thing about studying conservation at West Dean College?
Answer: For me it’s the opportunity to have time to dedicate to learning about something that had been an amateur interest, which I am now turning into a specialism. The small of amount of students at West Dean mean it’s a great community and there’s a high interaction with tutors. 

Question: Best part about being a conservator?
Answer: Constantly learning! 

Question: What’s the strangest object you’ve worked on?
Answer: This iron age warrior helmet was made around the time the Romans came to Britain. It’s completely unique, and was found in a burial with a number of other objects and skeleton in North Bersted (close to the College). We analysed the composition of the metal with XRF and were able to say that the composition of each part was made from the same source of metal. The techniques used here could then be applied to future projects, such as the bronze age axe mentioned previously. Analysis of the axe will help the conservator decide on the course of treatment. The exciting thing about that is we’re adding the knowledge of the history of the area.