Alex Wade - Collections Care

Alex Wade - Collections Care Preventive Conservator based in museums. ICON award winner 2024

Last week I had the opportunity to host a stall for the Newington History Group in this utterly fantastic church. It was...
24/05/2026

Last week I had the opportunity to host a stall for the Newington History Group in this utterly fantastic church. It was a really 10/10 local history event! Keep your eyes peeled on social media for the next one, the incredible tours alone make it worth the visit.

Newington History Group

Are you in Newington this weekend? If so pop in and say hi! I'll be there chatting about conservation and giving advice ...
11/05/2026

Are you in Newington this weekend? If so pop in and say hi! I'll be there chatting about conservation and giving advice on caring for your items at home. See you there!

The Battle of Trafalgar aquatints, part 2!
10/05/2026

The Battle of Trafalgar aquatints, part 2!

Have you seen Capturing a Queen: The Image of Anne Boleyn yet at ? I've been wanting to go since I first heard about it ...
29/04/2026

Have you seen Capturing a Queen: The Image of Anne Boleyn yet at ? I've been wanting to go since I first heard about it on the grapevine and it did not disappoint. I enjoyed it so much I already had plans to come back before I'd left! It's a must see for 2026, running from now until 2nd January 2027.

March was filled with all things exhibitions and Commissioner's House. Some of the projects from last year are starting ...
02/04/2026

March was filled with all things exhibitions and Commissioner's House. Some of the projects from last year are starting to come to fruition and it's so fulfilling and exciting to wrap those up.

Top left: mounting a sample of wallpaper from Commissioner's House that one of my lovely students Mila from worked on.

Top right: light monitoring locations in the house.

Middle right: the new MAST archaeological display in the main gallery.

Bottom right: A clay pipe find from Commissioner's House.

Bottom middle: A revealed section of very grubby but veey sweet wallpaper.

Bottom left: micro testing an etching before washing.

I really enjoy fitting mounts but this retrofit of pre-existing fabrications was tricky to say the least. Our main showc...
20/03/2026

I really enjoy fitting mounts but this retrofit of pre-existing fabrications was tricky to say the least.

Our main showcase has a series of hanging cradles that we're built to fit a selection of models. Rather than buying new and throwing away the old mounts we attempted a refit on the existing cradles.

You can see the huge gap the cradles had originally. Luckily the metal was reasonably easy to reshape by hand without compromising the stuctural integrity of the cradle. Through careful manipulation and test fits it was shaped to snugly fit the new models with only a few gaps that needed a very thing layer of plastazote. These were adhered in place with a conservation adhesive and left to dry and off gas.

At install the mounts were secured back in their fittings and tested for weight loading and inspected for any new pressure spots.

When we took these out of the case I had no idea how they would behave or if they were even possible to adapt. It was quite a fun challenge and it's always so satisfying to see a new exhibit in situ.

13/03/2026

I've really put my hand skills to the test today. The studio has no tools for cutting a bevelled edge on a mount so I had a go at cutting the bevel by hand, with a 10A scalpel.

I had some serious hand cramp by the end of it and I don't think I took a breath the entire time I was trimming it but I must say I was pleasantly surprised by the result.

I've joined the big plastic count 2026. This UK initiative helps track and monitor plastic household waste from the 9th ...
10/03/2026

I've joined the big plastic count 2026. This UK initiative helps track and monitor plastic household waste from the 9th March - 15th. If you remember what you threw away for the last couple of days you can still take part!

This data won't just help provide insight into household water habits across the country but also help you get a better idea of what you're putting into the bin / recycling. You might be surprised by what you're actually throwing away!

https://lnkd.in/ey2wJNNz

February was so busy, but so rewarding at the same time. I can't believe we're two months into 2026 already. Top left: t...
03/03/2026

February was so busy, but so rewarding at the same time. I can't believe we're two months into 2026 already.

Top left: the finished Commissioner's House ceiling painting

Top right: preparing objects for installation

Middle right: installing into cases

Bottom right: auditing our large object collections

Bottom middle: visiting The London Archives

Bottom left: teaching the basics of environmental monitoring

I've finally got my copy of The Museum Environment Revisited and it really is the bible for preventive conservation and ...
23/02/2026

I've finally got my copy of The Museum Environment Revisited and it really is the bible for preventive conservation and Collections Care.

It's so easy to read and such a rich resource. Anyone in the heritage sector, at any level can access this text, understand it and apply the principles.

Already this week I've referenced it as a teaching aid and refreshed some of my own knowledge. If you're looking to expand your knowledge of agents of deterioration and management of those systems this is the text for you.

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ME4

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