THE CONSERVATION team at Coughton Court have been kept busy during the winter months.
The stately home near Alcester houses one of the largest collections of family portraits cared for by the National Trust.
Two of the paintings, Mary Theresa Throckmorton and her great-grandmother Lady Elizabeth Somerset, have had to be sent away for specialist conservation work.
Coughton conservation manager Rebecca Farr, said: “Both the paintings and their frames are in poor condition, and in some cases sections of the frame have snapped off.
“These pieces will be reattached, and the paintings and frames will be carefully cleaned; years of dirt, discoloured varnish, and any old restorations that may be disfiguring parts of the painting will be removed. We’re looking forward to seeing how they will look when they return.”
The doors have now re-opened to the public and visitors will be able to see a new exhibition from April highlighting the Throckmorton’s links to the Gunpowder Plot.
Visit www.nationaltrust.org.uk/coughtoncourt for further details.
