Angels With Dirty Faces

Wed 4th Jan at 2pm

Heather Davis

Heather C Davis was born and educated in Dublin. After studying Classical Archaeology &, The History of Art at Trinity College, she moved to Newcastle to study the conservation of Fine art, specialising in easel paintings. She has worked in the field of museum conservation for over 25 years and has been involved on such diverse projects as the conservation of the painted nave ceiling at Ely Cathedral to the creation of the Fylde Gallery at Booths in Lytham. Since 2005 she has been Conservation Manager for the Lancashire County Museum Service. She also operates the Lancashire Conservation Studios whose specialist conservation team undertakes work across the UK and beyond.

“Angels with Dirty Faces” is an opportunity to see “behind the scenes at the museum “.  This illustrated talk is divided into three sections; The conservation of the painted nave ceiling at Ely Cathedral with an opportunity to see details of the work of Pre-Raphaelite artist, Gambier Parry and the techniques used to bring the colour scheme back to life. To operate as a professional museum today it is necessary to retain the numerous skills and talents of the “back room boys” (& girls). Heather highlights some of the skills required to tell the story of Lancashire’s Heritage. Finally we see a number of paintings as they undergo transformation through painstaking conservation revealing new information about their construction and discovering their hidden histories.

Below are photos of this lecture