The Leather Conservation Centre

Open Studios (Studio Tour)

Thursday 26th November | 14:00-15:00

Curious about what happens inside a conservation studio? Join us for our monthly Open Studios, held on the last Thursday of every month. These free guided tours offer a behind-the-scenes look at the Leather Conservation Centre's studio, handling collection, and some current projects.

Led by members of our specialist team, the tours explore the history behind traditional leathercraft techniques, and preventive conservation practice, situating historic craft knowledge within contemporary contexts.

These tours provide an opportunity to learn more about how leather and skin materials are conserved, understood, and interpreted, with time for questions and discussion throughout.

Limited to 8 places per session
What3words: ///dish.drama.mugs
Free to book now via our link in bio

Meet The Team...

Arianne is Manager of Conservation and Research at the LCC. Arianne gained an MA in Principles of Conservation from University College London (UCL) and an MSc in Conservation Studies from UCL Qatar. She undertook internships at the Museum of Anthropology in Vancouver and the Ethnologisches Museum in Berlin specialising in organic materials.

Following this, Arianne held several positions in the Gulf region including at the National Museum of Qatar. She has been a full-time member of the LCC since the beginning of 2020. Arianne is an accredited conservator/restorer, ACR, with the Institute for conservation ICON, and sits on the committee of the ALG (Archaeological Leather Group).

Stabilising the Arm Rests...

The prominent cracking across the arts rests were very apparent and interfered with the aesthetic finish that was intended for this piece. Deposits of dirt were also becoming ingrained within the cracks (which was a particular concern for the future use of the chair) and the underlying corium was vulnerable to splitting.

Where the grain layer was lifting but intact, it was carefully repositioned and secured from beneath using BEVA 371 film with controlled heat activation. Toned Japanese tissue patches were then applied across areas of delamination and loss, protecting the friable areas and creating stability where the grain surface had been lost. The deep cracking across both arm rests was consolidated in the same way.

Behind The Conservator's Bench

Join us in the studio for a look at the skills at the skills required to to preserve historic leather, from Tudor gilt leather to contemporary car interiors. You will get an insight into how conservators read an objects history and work with specialised tools and materials.

This studio experience gives visitors a rare look into the everyday work of a conservator. We will discuss object condition assessment, decision making, preventive methods and the reality of interventive treatment processes. You will learn about the tools and techniques that we use to care for objects like archaeological shoes, ceremonial sword scabbards, and mid-century furniture.

No background in conservation or collections care needed, just a curiosity about heritage and craft.

Course Facilitators: Rosie Bolton (Head of Centre) and Phoebe Ignatia (Objects and Textiles Conservator)
Location: LCC Studio
Date: Wednesday 4th Nov
Time: 10am - 4pm
Cost: £50

Limited to 6 places per session
What3words: ///dish.drama.mugs
Tickets available to book now via our link in bio

Meet The Team...

Cyd is Office and Finance Manager at the LCC. After completing a HND Business and Finance at the University of Northampton, Cyd then went on to gain an AAT Level 3 Advanced Diploma in Accounting. She has worked at the Leather Conservation Centre since 2015 as our Accounts Administrator, then progressed to the Office and Finance Manager.

Structural Reinforcement...

The most significant deterioration was on the seat cover, where the leather had cracked severely along the outer edges, with large fragments of the surface finish lifting and actively breaking away. The underlying corium fibres in these areas were loose and vulnerable to splitting.

On the flesh side, a layer of Cerex, a nonwoven polyester, was applied using BEVA 371 film, heat-activated with a spatula to create a flexible but robust reinforcement while retaining the flexibility of the leather. In the most severely damaged area, a thin leather patch was applied using Lascaux acrylic dispersion adhesive, chosen for its greater flexibility in an area subject to movement in use. This level of intervention was necessary to ensure structural reinforcement for an object that is intended to be lightly uses.

Every material used in conservation is chosen carefully - for its compatibility with the original, its reversibility, and its long-term stability.

Open Studios (Studio Tour)

Thursday 29th October | 14:00-15:00

Curious about what happens inside a conservation studio? Join us for our monthly Open Studios, held on the last Thursday of every month. These free guided tours offer a behind-the-scenes look at the Leather Conservation Centre's studio, handling collection, and some current projects.

Led by members of our specialist team, the tours explore the history behind traditional leathercraft techniques, and preventive conservation practice, situating historic craft knowledge within contemporary contexts.

These tours provide an opportunity to learn more about how leather and skin materials are conserved, understood, and interpreted, with time for questions and discussion throughout.

Limited to 8 places per session
What3words: ///dish.drama.mugs
Free to book now via our link in bio

Meet The Team...

Rosie Bolton is Head of Centre at the LCC and has worked at the cutting edge of leather conservation for over a decade.

She is currently the coordinator of the International Council of Museums Committee for Conservation (ICOM CC) Leather working group, and co-editor of the soon to be published second edition of the seminal textbook ’The Conservation of Leather, Skin and Related Materials (Routledge, 2026).

She has extensive experience of working with leather both historic and modern for a catalogue of clients including both renowned heritage institutions and private clients of all backgrounds, and a strong craft background, having trained in traditional fine bookbinding following her degree in Fine Art

The Eames Lounge Chair...

One of the most iconic pieces of mid-century modern furniture ever produced. Designed by Charles and Ray Eames for Herman Miller and first introduced to the public in 1956, it brought together ergonomic innovation, modern materials, and style. This original diagram shows the nine key components of the chair, including its rosewood plywood shells, cast aluminium base, and leather-upholstered cushions filled with feather and down.

The chair that came to us had been purchased at auction by its current owner, with the intention of bringing it back into domestic use - a chair designed to be lived in, loved, and passed down. The five leather upholstery covers were constructed from vegetable tanned bovine hide with a highly polished black surface finish. Our goal was to stabilise the leather, arrest the deterioration, and return the chair to a condition in which it could be carefully enjoyed once more, preserving as much of its original material and history as possible in the process.

Spend an afternoon learning the technique of fine linen darning through beginning your very own darning sampler.

This historic method was used to invisible enforce and repair worn areas or loss in textiles. You’ll work through the foundations of laying out a sampler, step by step leaving with a work in progress to continue at home.

Fine darning is one of the nearly lost arts of caring for textiles at home, this form of careful invisible mending is a test of patience! In this workshop, a textiles conservator will guide you through the first principles of mending and working through a structures sampler that builds your skill stitch by stitch. Along the way you will pick up an understanding of thread choice, tension and pattern-matching. By the end of the day you will have a work in progress and a guide to continue building your skills at home.

Open to anyone with experience stitching or with confidence in crafting.

Tickets are £45 per person, available to book via our link in bio
Monday 19th October, 13:00 – 16:00
Leather Conservation Centre, Canopy
What3Words: ///dish.drama.mugs

Please Note: Events may be subject to cancellation if the minimum number of signups is not reached.