Lacock Abbey reopens for the summer

Conservation work will begin on an iconic feature at Lacock Abbey when the National Trust property reopens its doors for the season on Monday 28 February.

A window in the South Gallery of the visitor attraction, which is within about half an hour's drive from Swindon, is famous for being the subject of the world’s first photographic negative.

The image was taken in 1835 by the Abbey’s then owner, photography pioneer William Henry Fox Talbot. 

However, decades ago a thin clear film was applied to the windows to stop harmful UV light coming into the room and causing damage to historic objects. The film, which has now deteriorated and stopped working, has also become crackled making it difficult to see out of the panes.

Experts have begun testing techniques to remove the old, crackled plastic film, ahead of installing new UV protection.

Emma Hitchings, Senior Collections & House Officer, said: "Early photography was very dependent on bright light for the long exposure times required at that time. 

"This south-facing window was perfect for Fox Talbot’s experiments. We are excited to remove the old film as it has stopped working and has disfigured the appearance of this special window. We will be working extremely carefully, scraping and cleaning the diamond shaped panes one at a time as the glass is very delicate.

"It’s a painstaking task but the reward will be to reveal the window and the view as Fox Talbot would have known it on the day he made his famous image. We will then be able to install new discreet UV protection, as the technology has improved immeasurably since the older film was applied."

The abbey’s indoor team is kept busy throughout the winter, deep cleaning the rooms and the thousands of collection items, ranging from geological specimens to Tudor portraits. 

It’s also a chance for the team carry out specialist conservation work before welcoming visitors back for the summer.

Ms Hitchings said: "As a conservation charity, this is just one of the jobs in our continuous programme of work to look after the objects in our care. 

"We hope to share the conservation work on this window with visitors over the spring, so people will be able to see a little bit of what goes on at a property like this.’

The Abbey rooms reopen on 28 February from 10.30am, with last entry at 3.45pm. 

The grounds, which are filled with spring flowers including what is promised to be a spectacular display of crocus, are open all year round, from 11am to 4pm until 27 February and from 10am to 5pm from 28 February.