Keeping a historic house like Harvington clean is crucial if it is to survive for generations.

A lack of cleaning can be harmful for both objects and interiors. A build-up of dust and dirt, which naturally will accumulate with a high number of visitors walking through the Hall rooms and passages during the year, attracts moisture and woodworm.

Conservation cleaning is very different to how we clean our homes, at home we are used to using cleaning products; however such chemicals can be harmful to historic timbers, fabrics and many other materials, which can be found in any historic house. Conservation cleaning aims to be as non-assuasive as possible and various techniques are applied depending on what it is that is being cleaned.

Who cleans harvington hall?

Harvington Hall is extremely lucky to have a dedicated team of conservation cleaning volunteers. Every Wednesday morning, before we open the doors to visitors, the Hall is a hive of activity getting the flat surfaces and floors cleaned.

However, this just touches the surface, as throughout the year our volunteers very carefully and lovingly clean and monitor the condition of our collection. If you think conservation cleaning and looking after our collection is something you might like to do then please get in touch. (No experience necessary)

In 2024 we were awarded an incredible £50,000 in grant funding from Historic Houses Foundation. This funding will support the conservation of many of our paintings, including repairs, presentation, wax removal, cleaning and paint analysis.

The Marble Room will be one of the main projects, whereby specialist conservators will be recreating the blue and orange stripe scheme that was uncovered in 2018. For many years it was believed that this room was a black and white striped until areas of whitewash were removed, unveiling its true vibrant colour.

Over the years significant work has been carried out in our Large Chapel to enhance and preserve this scheme. A key focus has been on improving its presentation. However, thanks to the funding, we are now able to complete this work.

In more recent years, the Halls ground floor corridors were painted with non-breathable paint, contributing to ongoing damp issues. To address this, we have stripped the walls back, revealing both beautiful original brickwork and some less-than-perfect past repairs.

This process allows the ground floor to properly dry out before we repaint it with lime wash.

Please keep an eye on our social media channels for regular updates.

In 2023 the buttery, which was the Hall’s gift shop until 2019, has undergone a full makeover.

A The rotten flooring was removed, exposing what was probably the 18th Century floor 18 inches below. We allowed the room to dry out before having the white paint removed and a new flooring installed, with air vents around the perimeter to help address the damp issue.
The room is now used as an interpretation space.

The room is now used as an interpretation space.

Harvington was one of the 17 sites funded by the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of England and Wales, which received £2.9million from Historic England for urgent repair programmes under the second round of funding via the Heritage Stimulus Fund.

Harvington’s £117,000 grant covered a large part of the cost of the works to the bridges, which cost £150,000. The Hall launched a fundraising campaign for an extra £30,000 to hit its target.

The Hall’s two bridges, which date from the 1700s, are the only way to access the hall which is on an island. The bridges were in need of repairs to ensure they can continue to be safely used, to allow visitor access and emergency vehicles.

Work on the bridges meant that part of the moat had to be drained, with archaeologists on hand to look for any hidden treasures from the Hall’s past.

The moat had not been drained since the 1930s, when archaeologists found spectacles, clay pipes and slipware plate fragments which have been reassembled and are now displayed in the Hall.

Please keep an eye on our social media channels for regular updates.

Harvington Hall,
Harvington Hall Lane,
Harvington,
Kidderminster,
DY10 4LR

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