Restoring the glory
Tile Tales
A collection of Minton tiles was found during the redevelopment project. Some of these are spares and samples. However, many had been lifted from the floors in The Exchange and Small exchange. Many of the tiles show signs of wear or damage, and have old grout attached to the edges. This shows that they were in the floor at some point.
The tiles were repacked and catalogued by our volunteers. They were trained in how best to care for them and keep them safe into the future.
They removed them from inappropriate storage boxes, cleaned, and then labelled them with individual numbers. Finally, they were repacked in plastic boxes, with pieces of foam protecting them from any further damage.
Silver sparkle
The Town Hall has a large collection of silverware, everything from civic regalia and tea sets to cutlery and cups. The collection of silverware in the display case here was carefully cleaned before going on display.
Conservation volunteers were trained in how to clean all kinds of silverware. They tackled cutlery and jugs, teapots and coffee pots, and brought a sparkle back to all of them.
Used floor tiles were found during the redevelopment project.
The tiles were cleaned and packed for long-term storage.