Older news stories and events from 2006 are shown below. News from other archived years are in our news archive section. News stories and reports from this year are viewable in the Latest News section.

25th October 2006

BAFRA at the LAPADA Autumn Antiques and Fine Art and Fair

Cheltenham Racecourse 19-22 October 2006

by Michael Barrington

This was undoubtedly a very successful public appearance for BAFRA in association with LAPADA, The Association of Art and Antiques Dealers.

Our stand was very generously provided by The Antiques Dealers Fair Limited a company owned by the Fair's Director Ingrid Nilson. The stand had a sixteen metre frontage in the magnificent Centaur Building Gallery. Ten metres formed the main part of the demonstration and display area while six contained our small lecture area in which we arranged 3-4 lectures each day. Three benches with green pelmets were at the front of the stand at which a daily team of BAFRA members demonstrated a number of skills and talked almost endlessly with the stream of visitors. The backdrop of the stand consisted of four full-sized laser facsimilies of tapestries and rugs from the V&A textile collection together with a display of furniture and clocks brought in by members.

Michael Goater, pictured with items of stone and marble sculpture on which he was working, provided a major attraction for visitors as did Mark Coray with his newly designed and constructed wave moulding machine, seen here teaching Jeremy Gow and Keith Bawden how to use it.

Also looking on are Derek Boltwood, the designer of the BAFRA Journal together with BAFRA's advertising sales expert Ranald Law both of whom had come up from Dorset for the event.

Jeremy Gow reaching for his store of turtle shell while talking to a visitor about boullework. To his left is a magnificent example of a tortoiseshell and ebony table cabinet which formed the centrepiece of the stand below the BAFRA logo.

Next door, Dominic Schuster who was demonstrating gilding talks to Keith Harding On the stand also was a collection of mechanical musical instruments belonging to Keith Harding, a foremost expert in the field of Mechanical Music and clocks who is standing infront of a George III mahogany barrel organ with a musical clock on the bench.

Katie Keat hard at gilding and chatting.

Tim Naylor from Chertsey in Surrey

Richard Higgins gave a fascinating lecture on horology “Clocks, their conservation and restoration – anything is possible”, while Rod Titian, famous for his work in Kew Palace and seen recently on TV, demonstrated gilding.

A very large quantity of copies of both the BAFRA Journal and our annual Directory of Members/Conservation-Restoration Guide was taken from display racks by visitors together with copies of members' cards and leaflets to the extent that we were constantly replenishing them all. An additional interest was that some of us were called to attend to objects on LAPADA members' stands which had sustained damage on the way to the Fair.

Throughout the Fair there was a general very friendly feeling, excellent catering in the restaurant and help always available as we all staggered with our possessions in and out of the building.

5th October 2006

Specialist Restoration

by Michael Barrington

On Wednesday 5th October BAFRA and the British Damage Management Association hosted a Masterclass for Technicians from a number of Damage Management Companies, franchisees of BDMA and independent companies together with Insurers and Loss Adjusters. The aim of this event was to give delegates advice on a number of principles on which the successful rescue of property damaged by fire, flood and impact depends. The economics of rescue and treatment of property was emphasised throughout. The Masterclass covered just about every area of personal property with particular attention being paid to items of cultural significance.

A Team of very experienced representatives of the Conservation Profession gave concise and highly informative presentations to delegates. The Team, assembled by BAFRA were:

• Ros Hodges, East Sussex - Ceramics and Glass
• Sophia Fairclough and Caroline Harrison, Bristol - Works of Art on Paper
• Richard Pelter, Bristol - Paintings
• Moira Buick, Bristol - Paper, Archives & Books
• Mark Coray, Wellington, Somerset - Furniture
• Theo Sturge, Northampton - Leather
• Alison Lister, Banwell, Somerset - Textiles
• Lenka Bashford, Suffolk - Carpets
• Michael Barrington, Dorset - Introduction

The main topics addressed under each specialism were common to all and formed the principles of advice which the team were offering to delegates. :

• Identifying the object if you can, otherwise call for specialist advice
• Identifying the main areas and causes of damage and awareness of their likely effects on the future rescue and treatment of the object by the relevant specialist.
• Choose the sequence of emergency/first-aid actions relevant, available and possible in the circumstances and within the time available
• Contact relevant specialist to assist if time is available – otherwise warn one to be ready to receive the object/s.
• Correct packing and transport related to the state of the damaged object/s (heat and/or water damaged) with appropriate warnings to recipients.

Under each specialism, speakers illustrated their advice with excellent pictures and examples of objects.

The Masterclass, staged under the auspices of the BDMA at The Severn Park Fire and Rescue Training Centre, Avonmouth, Bristol was beautifully organised by Emma Dadson and her sister Kathryn to whom we are all most grateful for a very worthwhile and valuable day.

It is the intention of BDMA to repeat this Masterclass at other locations in the UK so that the large number of Technicians from the Damage Management Companies throughout the country receive the best advice available for the benefit of owners of damaged property and for the benefit of the Insurance Industry.

28th June 2006

BAFRA 11^th STUDENT AND GRADUATE CONSERVATION AWARD 2006

by Michael Barrington

Sponsored by Hiscox and the Heath Lambert Group, John Myland Ltd and the Life Members of BAFRA

Cheltenham Art Gallery
Clarence Street,
Cheltenham,
GL50 3JT

The 11^th Annual BAFRA Student Conservation Award finals took place at Cheltenham Art Gallery on Wednesday 28^th June with a total of eleven finalists being judged for three prizes.

The Student Section for entrants at college was generously sponsored this year by Hiscox and Heath Lamber Group (Specialist Insurers of Conservators).

The Graduate Award for entrants either no longer at college or undergoing further postgraduate training was generously sponsored by John Myland Limited and the Runner-Up prize was sponsored by the six life members of BAFRA.

A formidable team of six BAFRA accredited members led by Stephen Jarrett owner of Witney Antiques in Oxfordshire assembled to judge the two competitions having been supplied beforehand with brief synopsises of each entrant's work. This was Stephen's second time as our Judges Team Leader in the competition's eleven year history.

We are indebted to Cheltenham Art Gallery for providing us with such a fitting venue with strong support in catering and of course entertainment for finalists and visitors within the Gallery with its very famous Arts & Crafts section.

The student section was won convincingly by Andrea Hope from West Dean College with her stunning Mid 19^th Century Circular Mahogany Tilt Top Table.

Second was Toshifumi Iwata from Buckinghamshire & Chilterns University College (BCUC) with his 19^th Century Ebonised Boulle Marquetry Cabinet from the Royal Collection.

And in Third Place was a further student entrant from West Dean, Foekje ten Cate with a Tunbridge Ware Writing Box with sloping top opening to reveal a compartmented baize lined interior.

In the Graduate Section both entrants were from West Dean College with Felix Bachmann being the winner with his late 18th – early 19th Century rectangular gilded mirror closely followed by Frederick van Eck as Runner-up with his early to mid 18th Century walnut dining chair.

Both our Scottish Affiliated Colleges Lauder College from Dunfermline and Glasgow College of Building and Printing were represented by Joanne O'Donnell from Glasgow and Keith Dobson from Lauder College strongly supported by members of college staffs.

Merit Awards were given to Joanne for her Victorian Child's Steamer Chair, Keith for his Wellington Chest and Katarina Seiler from BCUC for her Brazilian rosewood framed sofa.

Merits were also given to Sarah Martin from Oxford & Cherwell for her Chippendale Dining Chair, John Powell with a square piano very deeply and impressively researched in both casework and musically and Philip Lyons from BCUC with a French ebonised table with a boulle panel and bronze mounts.

As always the standard of work submitted was extremely high, making the judging the usual 'nightmare'. All entrants to the two competitions have our most sincere congratulations. It is very heartening, each successive year, to see such high standards of research and conservation-restoration treatment being achieved.

The number of colleges now offering courses in furniture conservation and restoration has dwindled sharply over the last two years, partly because of the apparent continuing low appeal of the conservation-restoration profession to young people – although the many older people looking to establish second careers still make up a good proportion of college students in the furniture conservation-restoration field. The second substantial reason for decline in the number of courses on offer is the lack of funding by Central Government despite its oft-heard commitment to vocational skills. There is little more vocational than conservation and restoration but enthusiasm from politicians and their supporting Education experts for the care of our enormous moveable heritage seems sadly lacking. Also the decline of the antique trade must surely be having an adverse effect.

One 'hardy annual' comment about entries continues. This relates to the skill of 'brevity' exercised in entrants' 'write-ups' of their projects. In the competition rules BAFRA particularly asks entrants to limit their 'reports' to four pages of A4 and there are always incidents in which this competition requirement seems to be ignored. Brevity is required for two reasons': firstly as practical help for the Judges to read themselves into the entries before the finals and secondly because of the importance we allocate to communication skills. There is every good reason for the detailed research carried out by entrants to be fully recorded in the most minute detail for the benefit of others learning and working in the trade, and in fact such records are a mandatory part of a conservator-restorer's responsibility, but the Judges simply do not have the time to read through every detail. However, the Judges question entrants in considerable detail about their work during the twenty-odd minute period allocated for individual interviews and it is then that the entrant's research may be related and discussed. The second reason is that good communication when you are in business, particularly with knowledgeable clients, is vital. Clients generally want clear and reasoned recommendations, so the skill of positive and simple communication is most important and it is one of the Award Judges' briefs to assess that skill.

The other 'hardy annual' is the balance given between conservation and restoration of a piece or part of a piece. This often subtle balance requires 'experience' on the part of the craftsman and that is not an advantage enjoyed by most students and of course most early graduates. On this most important question students do not always appear to receive the best advice from their tutors. This can result in the unfortunate experience for the student who has carried out work which the judges feel is in serious conflict with long established principles of conservation which are so fundamental to BAFRA's existence and “maintenance of object integrity” is one of those.

Congratulations to all the entrants to our annual Conservation Award and our very best wishes for your success in the profession.