Expert from The Repair Shop helps to preserve altar frontals at Salisbury Cathedral

Wednesday, 13 November 2024 06:00

A conservator from BBC TV’s The Repair Shop has been working at Salisbury Cathedral to help conserve precious altar frontals.

Rebecca Bissonnet has been undertaking conservation work on the altar frontals, which are kept in the Cathedral's vestry.

This is part of an ongoing conservation project for a wide range of textiles in the Cathedral, including the cushions and other fabrics in the Quire.

Rebecca has become a familiar face on the popular television programme The Repair Shop, filmed at the Weald and Downland Living Museum near Chichester.

The altar frontal pictured was made in the 1980s by Jane Lemon and the Sarum Group Embroiderers Guild, who worked on ecclesiastical embroidery in and around Salisbury.

These designs combine machine and hand-sewn techniques and are part of the current working collection at the Cathedral.

Rebecca was brought in to assess the collection a few years ago and prepare a plan to keep the frontals in the best-kept condition. She has been checking the frontals, cleaning and repairing any wear and tear. This involved a surface clean and a mechanical clean, which involved using makeup sponges to dab off any smoke residue from burning candles and incense that the fabric had absorbed over the years.

Some of the fabric used to make the flame design was beginning to rip, so a technique Rebecca used to repair the fabric without replacing it is overlaying, where transparent netting is placed over the fabric to protect it and provide support with minimal intervention.

Rebecca Bissonnet, Textile and Embroidery Conservator, said: "Salisbury Cathedral has an amazing collection of altar frontals which, as an embroidery as well as a textile conservator I am very excited to be working on.

"These working textiles were in need of a clean, which I did using low-powered vacuum suction to remove surface soiling. Next, I mechanically cleaned using dry sponges to lift ingrained dirt, so they can continue their very busy working life. "

The Revd Canon Treasurer Kenneth Padley said, “It’s great to have Rebecca here in Salisbury with such excellent expertise to help us preserve and protect these beautiful altar frontals so they can be used and enjoyed for many years to come.”

More from Local News

Shops to stay open for 'Festive Shopping' evening

Shops will open until 7 p.m. on Thursday, December 5th, for an evening of festive shopping in Salisbury, the City of the Stars, this Christmas.
A step towards a safer community as Speedwatch group gets underway

Laverstock & Ford Parish Council saw their inaugural Community Speedwatch get underway this month after some initial setbacks.
Trainee teacher takes part in prestigious Lord Mayor’s Show in London to raise awareness of liver disease

A trainee teacher and marathon runner who is waiting for a liver transplant, was a special guest at the Lord Mayor’s Show in London last Saturday, representing the British Liver Trust, the UK’s leading liver health charity.
Residents encouraged to ‘Ask the Leader’ at event in Amesbury

Wiltshire Council is continuing to host its series of community events across the county where people can ask questions to find out more about the work of the council, with the Leader of the Council having visited 16 of Wiltshire’s 18 community areas so far.
Three men arrested in connection with van break-in series

Wiltshire Police have arrested three people in connection with an investigation into thefts from vans across the county, during which thousands of pounds worth of power tools have been stolen.
Wiltshire Council working hard to reduce overspend

Wiltshire Council has provided its second formal update of the 2024/25 financial year, which shows its previously forecasted overspending has reduced significantly.
Wiltshire's recycling collection to change from 2027

Wiltshire Council’s Cabinet has agreed its future approach to collecting recycling when its current contracts to carry out this service come to an end in 2026.
Salisbury based trains fitted with new anti-slip tech

A new initiative between Network Rail and South Western Railway has more than doubled the number of trains treating the railway and keeping the tracks leaf-free this Autumn.