Major European awards recognise conservation work of the National Trust

The National Trust received the Europa Nostra Award for its work to conserve the Gideon Tapestries at Hardwick Hall in Derbyshire. The task, carried out by hand with traditional sewing and stitching techniques, was praised for “exemplifying the National Trust's commitment to preservation”.

The 2024 winners of the European Heritage Awards / Europa Nostra Awards, co-funded by the Creative Europe programme of the European Union, were announced today (Thurs 30 May). This year, Europe’s most prestigious awards for heritage go to 26 outstanding winners from 18 countries. Four of this year’s winners come from the United Kingdom, the country with the greatest number of Awards in 2024. As the UK is not a signatory of the Creative Europe programme of the European Union, these winners will receive the Europa Nostra Awards.

The Europa Nostra Awards jury praised the project for commitment of the National Trust:

“This 24-year endeavour exemplifies unparalleled dedication and collaboration, showcasing the depth of European heritage preservation. Through meticulous research the remarkable Gideon Tapestries have been safeguarded for future generations. The collaboration with Belgian textile experts underlines its European significance. The project's longevity emphasises a commitment to excellence, while the innovative solutions that were developed highlight a resolve in overcoming challenges. This project is a testament to professionalism and the level of skill in conservation which are often unseen, but are very much worthy of celebration.”

The winners were selected from 206 eligible applications to this year's Awards submitted by organisations and individuals from 38 European countries. The winners will be celebrated at the European Heritage Awards Ceremony 2024 in October at the Romanian Athenaeum, the most prestigious concert hall in Bucharest, Romania.

Hardwick Hall is renowned for its textiles, including an extensive collection of irreplaceable tapestries.

The recently completed project saw the set of 13 Gideon Tapestries conserved. Bought by Bess of Hardwick, a friend of Elizabeth I, in 1592, they are nearly six metres high and total over 70 metres in length (20ft x 230ft) making them one of the most ambitious tapestry sets of thier time and the largest surviving set in the UK.

The tapestries tell the story of Gideon, one of the 12 Judges to appear in the Old Testament Book of Judges, who leads an army to save his people from the Midianites. They were woven around 1578 in the Flemish region of Oudenaarde for the Lord Chancellor Sir Christopher Hatton, for the Long Gallery at Holdenby House in Northamptonshire. After Hatton’s death, the tapestries were sold to Bess of Hardwick for the then huge sum of £326 15s 9d.

The work to conserve the tapestries, mostly carried out at the National Trust’s own Textile Conservation Studio in Norfolk, started in 1999 and was completed last summer (July 2023) when the final one of the set returned to Hardwick Hall’s Long Gallery.

Claire Golbourn, National Conservator, Textiles, said: ‘I am extremely privileged to have worked on the first Gideon tapestry at the studio as the Conservation Technician in 2000 where I remember removing the old lining and finding the embroidered monograms of Christopher Hatton in the corner of the tapestry. I am lucky enough to have seen the last tapestry leave the studio as the Textile Studio Manager.

‘Receiving this award is recognition to the team of dedicated people that have worked on this project, past and present. A huge number of people made this project happen and it has been a triumph but will also be strange not to have a Gideon tapestry in the studio.’

The National Trust’s Senior National Curator Emma Slocombe said: “These astonishing tapestries have been in the Long Gallery since it was first decorated at the end of the 16th century. Extraordinarily, that’s where they remain. Bess collected them and unlike many tapestries they’ve never been moved to another home, dispersed or cut up.

“Everything at Hardwick is pre-eminent and these tapestries are unique, an ambitious statement at the heart of an architectural masterpiece.”

National Trust conservators used specialist conservation stitching – with hand-dyed yarns – to repair damaged areas, improve the appearance of 20th Century reweaves, and strengthen the structure of the tapestry.

The tapestries were conserved as a complete whole as opposed to individual objects. To maintain consistency over the life of the project, precise records were kept, including ‘recipe books’ with instructions on how to make bespoke dye colours for the threads. Conservators used ‘stitch guides’ to ensure stitches were correctly spaced to achieve consistency over the 24-year project, and so that they can be discerned from original stitches.

The length of the project also meant techniques could be adapted over time – reattaching the lower border of each tapestry in-situ was found to ease some of the colossal weight when it came time to rehang, and cleaning processes – particularly for the largest of the tapestries – were also refined over the years.

Liz Waring, property Curator at Hardwick Hall said: “The result of this 24-year process of conservation is that these internationally significant tapestries have been safeguarded for another 100 years for many more people to enjoy. The conservation has ensured that the tapestries can be read more coherently and that we can gain a better understanding of their significance and impact, both in the Elizabethan era and now.”

The conservation project cost £1.7 million in total and was made possible over many years through generous funding from The David Webster Charitable Trust, the Wolfson Foundation, the Royal Oak Foundation, National Lottery Heritage Fund and other charitable trusts and foundations and individual donors.