Issue 37 Spring 23 WEB - Flipbook - Page 22
Hidden Treasures
of the National Trust
Following on from Secrets Of The Museum, which explored the V&A’s archives and
exhibitions, BBC Arts has commissioned a new series exploring another of Britain’s cultural
institutions, the National Trust.
Reflecting the national scale and importance of
the National Trust’s many properties and the engaging,
committed staff and volunteers who care for them, the
series uncovers the hidden stories of a myriad of wonderful
buildings and objects.
Stories range from the restoration of an ornate
nineteenth-century Chinese bridge at Biddulph Grange
Garden near Stoke-on-Trent, to discovering how the
Trust has brought Paul McCartney’s childhood home
back to life using stone-pattern wallpaper; seeing how the
experts clean a model of a Normandy Harbor used by
Winston Churchill in the planning of D-Day and the
renovation of Vita Sackville-West’s writing room at
Sissinghurst Castle. The series also showcases stories of
the gardens and landscapes within which these properties
sit.
Hidden Treasures of the National Trust follows the
experts and conservators at work across Britain, as they
breathe new life into fragile marvels, uncover hidden
stories, and battle to keep the past alive. The series
introduces audiences to some of the entertaining volunteers and staff who care for the properties and these
objects, revealing their passion, dedication and affection
for the treasure houses they help to maintain.
Based in a different region of the UK for each episode,
the series looks behind the scenes at the extraordinary
work that is being done to conserve these properties and
their contents for future generations.
Opposite, Paper Conservator Louise Drover inspecting a section of
wallpaper she has successfully removed image credit James Ross.
Below, Emma McCullough, Niamh Hanlon cleaning a chandelier
at Castle Ward, Northern Ireland, in the Aston.
Image credit Angus Gibson .
