 This church chest is made from the hollowed-out trunk of an oak tree. As part of my MRes, and by kind funding from the Regional Furniture Society, dendrochronology was carried out and testing returned a felling and construction date of between 1354-1388, just after the Black Death in England.  The chest was in a bit of a sorry state, with spiders and mice making their homes in it! The outside of the chest was covered in paint splatters. The first job was to very carefully clean all the loose debris from the interior and exterior of the chest with a soft brush and low-suction hoover. The next step was to carefully clean the entire chest using a conservation-grade cleaner, gently removing all the paint splatters from the timber and ironwork. A conservation blacksmith was called in to make sympathetic repairs to two broken hasps holding the lids on. The chest was then treated against rot and furniture beetle attack.  Fragile and loose areas of the chest were consolidated using a reversible resin. Then finally, I applied a micro-crystalline wax to the outer surface of the chest, including the ironwork, to protect it from damp and dust. Traces of red paint were discovered during the cleaning process, which suggest that the chest was once painted red on the exterior. Finally, a bespoke metal stand was made to display the chest on, and below is the finished result... 
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 The Georgian drop-front desk before any restoration  Finally, I made a new central door and fitted a period drop handle. I also replaced the brass knob on the new drawer (top left) and finished the desk with a wax polish. |
