The mansion team have been busy polishing the family silver at Tatton Park in preparation for the re-opening of the mansion at the end of March.
An extensive winter cleaning programme is being carried out under the direction of a National Trust conservator.
Before the mansion re-opens to the public on Saturday 24th March, each room and practically every precious item within it is condition checked and thoroughly cleaned.
The team will be undertaking a wide variety of tasks, from buffing up the kitchen copper collection so you can see your face in it to delicately brushing the dust off the frames of priceless paintings with pony hair brushes.
Amongst the collection are two large Regency candlesticks by the early nineteenth century British silversmith and sculptor Paul Storr which have been carefully cleaned with conservation grade silver dip.
These costly decorative candlesticks, surmounted with lion rampants, the crest of the Egerton family of Tatton Park, would have been brought out for very special occasions and may well have graced the dining room table when the Prince and Princess of Wales were guests of Wilbraham and Elizabeth Egerton in 1887.
Mansion and collections manager Caroline Schofield said: "For us January to March is as busy as the rest of the year. Though closed to the public this is when we do most of our detailed checking and cleaning. Our team have done a superb job on the silver gilt collection this year, a rewarding task which achieves literally brilliant results. The before and after difference is astounding!"
Photo: Catherine Downey, Mansion and Conservation Assistant with a Paul Storr candlestick.
