Repairing tiger ears and scraping paint at Knightshayes

Knightshayes is undergoing some important, though rather unusual, conservation work this winter including the repairing of a tiger’s ears.

Traditionally, National Trust properties are closed during the winter, but the team at Knightshayes feel it’s the perfect time to witness conservation first hand and discover new items from the collection.

Over the next few months visitors will get to see a different side to the gothic mansion as staff and volunteers set about deep cleaning the rooms and collection. Although the team work hard to take care of the estate all year round, the most crucial conservation work is usually undertaken out of the public eye.

“This is a great time to visit, giving you a rare opportunity to see what goes on behind the scenes to preserve the house and keep it looking at its best for generations to come,” says Sara Currant, House Manager at Knightshayes.

“We work hard to look after Knightshayes so that it can be enjoyed by everyone for ever, but this is a rare chance for visitors to see first-hand, how the charity cares for its properties and collections.”

From 18 to 20 January visitors can watch Simon Moore, a natural history conservation advisor, working on some taxidermy in the East Wing. One of the most important pieces to be repaired will be a very old tiger skin, the ears of which are suffering from delamination which is the flaking away of layers. 

In February the team will also be starting the process of taking paint scrapings from areas of the kitchen as part of an ongoing restoration project. Specialists will come to Knightshayes to study the samples in order to work out the exact colour and age of each layer. The wealth of new information will help the team recreate the kitchen in a way that’s most true to it’s past.

During this period, visitors will also be able to enter Knightshayes Lady Amory’s former flat which is not normally open to the public; and each Sunday during January and February, after exploring the house, gardens or parkland, visitors can feast on a carvery made using either locally sourced or home-grown produce. The shop and Stables Café remain open daily from 10am to 4pm.