Quirky carvings - Newton Abbot Museum

By: Felicity Cole
Added: 18 December 2012

 A visit to view the  conservation process on the

                         Heart of Oak project.

Hugh Harrison and his team have revealed fantastic carvings on the Tudor panels.  They were all hidden away under many,many layers of varnish and they are all being brought to life by the skill of the conservators.

District Councillor Vogel, together with two conservation officers from  Teignbridge and myself visited two workshops to see how the conservation project was progressing.  We were all amazed by the beautiful carvings that have been revealed properly for the first time since they were first carved in c.1530s.

It was very exciting to be able to see a clay carving of a figure that had been missing for many years, the screen carvings had been damaged within the property in the 1980/90s.  Laurence Beckford is managing to recreate a missing figure of a 'goat-lady' in clay first, and then will re-carve it in oak.

The museum is looking forward to the time when the carvings can be displayed for the first time to the public.