Our work at The Workhouse and Infirmary

Close up photo of a book being cleaned using conservation techniques at Llanerchaeron, Wales. The book is resting open on a cushion while a conservation assistant gently brushes dust into a vacuum nozzle. — Conservation assistant carefully cleaning a book | © National Trust Images/Arnhel de Serra

If walls could talk, what would they say? Although the collection of original items at The Workhouse is small, these walls have been witness to over 150 years of history. They may not be able to tell us directly what they have seen or heard but they can show us other parts of social history. Discover how we go about caring for and conserving them.

Conservation of the Becher portrait

In February 2025, the large oil portrait of Reverend John Thomas Becher, founder of The Workhouse, was carefully removed from its usual home in the Board Room and was sent away for vital conservation work to be carried out.

The portrait is over 180 years old and had begun to show signs of deterioration including flaking paint and discoloured varnish. While a certain amount of damage is unavoidable over time, careful conservation can stabilise an item to minimise damage in the future.

It was transported to Critchlow & Kukkonen conservation studios, which specialise in paintings. Flaking areas were stabilised, old varnish was replaced, and a microclimate frame was fitted to protect the surface from the effects of environmental factors, like fluctuating humidity levels.

The painting was returned to us in March and we'd like to say thank you to the team at Critchlow & Kukkonen Ltd for their careful work, and to the Dean of Southwell, who loans the portrait to the National Trust.

A collage of historic wallpaper pieces found at The Workhouse and Infirmary, Southwell, Nottinghamshire — A selection of historic wallpaper pieces discovered during restoration work | © National Trust

Preserving original wallpaper

Inside the Infirmary there is a lot of original wallpaper that requires careful conservation and protection.

However, it’s not just the Infirmary that has unusual wallpaper. The Workhouse also has examples dating back as early as the mid-19th century – when the building was used to house paupers – right through to more modern examples from the 1970s.

Working with the community

To highlight how we care for this collection, The Workhouse was part of an exciting project called ‘Hands On or Hands Off?’ involving four other National Trust properties.

The project aimed to create innovative ways to engage visitors with conservation stories, and at The Workhouse it focussed on how and why we conserve the walls. In this case, it involved working with local community groups to create a new exhibition.

Encouraging participation

Local artist, Sarah Holden, helped put together a workshop for local Brownies and Guides in which participants designed and created their own wallpaper samples, using original examples from The Workhouse.

The project aimed to show how the Workhouse's wallpaper is an important part of the building’s history, whilst being an extremely fragile part of the collection. The children's work helped to show the extent of the damage caused when people and items touch this wallpaper.

'I’ve always found a deep connection with everyday objects and decorations found in historical places. In some ways they can give us a deeper insight into the lives of the people that were there before us, more than just words written on a plaque. This project is a fantastic way to spread awareness of the importance of preserving our local histories.'

- Sarah Holden - Local artist working in collaboration with The Workhouse

A silhouette of a hand ringing a hand bell at The Workhouse in Southwell, Nottinghamshire, — Ringing a hand bell at The Workhouse | © National Trust Images/Ian Shaw

Caring for the collection at The Workhouse

Smaller, individual items in the collection at The Workhouse are also conserved and cared for by our team, including:

Pieces of oakum - old, tarred rope from ships that paupers would sit and unpick into small fibres for hours. It was then sold back to the shipyards providing 'money for old rope'.
Workhouse uniforms, including a shirt donated by a former member of the Association of Health and Residential Care Officers.

There are currently over 1,200 items catalogued in the collection. Most of these are in protective storage, and are checked annually to ensure they are in good condition. Much of the collection is made up of historic objects, although we do have hundreds of furnishing items as well.

The annual conservation clean

During the winter months, the team remove items from display and carefully store them in acid-free tissue paper boxes. This ensures their protection while checks are carried out on the empty display cases to analyse light levels, temperature and humidity - three factors that can damage objects.