Having worked at West Dean College since 1996 Norbert Gutowski is leaving us at the end of the summer term 2021. His contribution to the College has been huge and he has been ever-present for a quarter of a century. He is the stuff of legends.

Graduate Diploma Conservation Studies student Dan Mifsud specialises in Furniture. In this blog post, he discusses the history, condition and interpretation of an ornate tea caddy, kindly loaned for conservation by the Museum of the Home.

Graduate Diploma Conservation Studies student David Edwards discusses his latest project: the conservation of a set of six mid-19th century oak rush-seated country chairs. Read more in the blog post.

As part of his studies, Graduate Diploma Conservation Studies student David Edwards has been working on the conservation of a Thonet ‘No.28’ chair, which is owned by the Edward James Foundation. 

Our first assignment in the West Dean furniture conservation program: hand-plane a square piece of wood into a tapered column, break it, and put it back together.