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The Institute of Conservation

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The Institute of Conservation

Icon promotes the conservation of and access to our rich and varied heritage - from the interiors of historic buildings to rare and fragile tapestries.

Icon is the UK’s leading voice for the conservation of our precious cultural heritage. We raise awareness of the cultural, social and economic value of caring for our heritage and champion high standards of conservation.

13/11/2025

🌟Celebrating Impact in Conservation: The Icon Winter Reception 🌟

🏛️Last week we were delighted to welcome guests from across the conservation community to our Winter Reception at the Gallery, marking a special moment in Icon’s 20th Anniversary celebrations.

The event featured:

🗓️Icon’s 21st AGM delivered by the fantastic Chair of Trustees Emma Chaplin

🎤An inspiring Annual Lecture delivered by Professor ACR FIIC, exploring ‘why we do conservation’

🏆The Conservation Awards, presented by Carole Milner MBE, which honoured excellence, innovation, and emerging talent in the sector

📸The Photography Prize, presented by Ylva Dahnsjö ACR FLS FIIC, which recognised the winners who captured moments of connection within conservation practice

🤝We would like to extend our thanks to all attendees, alongside our sponsors including Photography prize and official evening sponsor , drinks sponsor as well as our Conservation Award sponsors: , , Utility Aid and the .

Their support was instrumental in making the evening a celebration of professional excellence.

🔗For reflections on the evening and to read about the fantastic award winners, see the link in bio!

📸

03/11/2025

🎓Step Into Conservation with Icon’s Student Month! 🎓

This November, we’re celebrating the future of conservation with a variety of events and resources designed for students and early-career professionals.

Get ready for a month packed with:

📚 Webinars & expert Q&A sessions
💡Fresh insights from emerging professionals
🤝Opportunities to connect with professionals from across the sector

✨Whether you’re just starting your studies or considering entering the Conservation field, this is your chance to develop skills, make connections, and discover how Icon can support your professional development.

🔗Find out more via the link in bio!

20/10/2025

🌟Conservation isn’t just about making things last, it’s about preserving culture, memory, and meaning

🪄It’s technical, emotional, meticulous and sometimes downright magical. Yet most of the time, this work happens behind the scenes.

❓So, why do we do it

🎤 In Icon’s seventh annual lecture Professor explores the reason why we do conservation.

📣In this crowd sourced lecture Jane shares 20 powerful, personal and surprising reasons from conservation experts across the field. Whether you’re at the bench, the archives or simply curious, these insights might change the way you see conservation.

💬What’s your reason? Share your story with and join the conversation.

📆 Join us London on Thursday 6 November.

🔗Learn more and register at link in bio

09/10/2025

🧵Textile Conservation at the Palestinian Museum

Since opening in 2016, the Palestinian Museum, located in Birzeit in the occupied West Bank has become a vital centre for the safeguarding of Palestinian cultural heritage.

Its conservation studio, established in collaboration with the , supports the preservation, documentation, and digitisation of its collections including embroidered thobes, traditional dress, and paper-based artefacts.

In this insightful article, Baha Jubeh, the Museum’s Conservation and Collections Manager, and Katy Smith ACR, Senior Organics Conservator at the British Museum, reflect on the 2022 four-week training programme with the V&A, where the Palestinian Museum’s conservators took part in hands-on training in textile conservation and costume mounting.

They also discuss current work at the museum, including the recovery and care of three embroidered dresses salvaged from the rubble of the destroyed Rafah Museum in Gaza.

🔗 Read the full article via the link in bio

📸

08/10/2025

✨More from the Icon Photography Prize Shortlist! ✨

We’re thrilled to reveal the final three photographs shortlisted by our fantastic judging panel for this year’s Members’ Choice Award!

🔍 From delicate repairs to complex re-installations, these powerful images showcase the breadth of conservation in action.

🗳️ Don’t forget, you can vote for your two favourite entries from the shortlist, each captured by talented members of the Icon community.

🗓️ Voting closes Monday 13 October 2025 at 12pm, don’t miss your chance to have your say!

🔗 Head to the link in bio to view all six photographs and cast your vote.

📷 .restores
📷 Jura Stanek
📷

07/10/2025

✨ The Icon Photography Prize is Underway! ✨

We are delighted to announce that voting is open for the Icon Photography Prize Members’ Choice Award.

🏛️The shortlist of six photographs has been drawn up by our expert judging panel, and we’re kicking things off by sharing the first three entries here!

🏺From shimbari to steam cleaning, we’re delighted to see such a broad range of specialisms and situations captured by conservators at work.

🗳️Now it’s over to you! Cast your vote for your two favourite entries from the shortlist, each submitted by talented members of the Icon community.

🏆 The Members’ Choice Award and the Overall Winner will be announced at Icon’s Winter Reception, where shortlisted works will be exhibited, mounted and framed by our Photography Prize sponsor,

🗓️ Deadline to vote: Monday 13 October 2025 at 12pm

🔗 For more information on the shortlist and to cast your vote, click the link in bio!

📷 Paula Śwituszak-Żywica
📷
📷

30/09/2025

⏳There are only 2 days left to submit your nominations for the Conservation Awards 2025!⏳

🏛️The Conservation Awards are an opportunity to promote broader recognition of conservation and the value it brings to society.

🔬All six award categories will spotlight highly skilled practitioners and teams who are championing advances in best practice, research, and training across the sector.

🤝You may want to celebrate a colleague making progress in sustainability, a team working to engage the public with historic objects and collections, or someone early in their career whose contribution is already making a difference!

🏆Thanks to the generous support of, the , , , and Utility Aid, the winner of each category will receive a cash prize of £1,000.

🗓️Deadline: Thursday 2 October, 5pm

🔗Click link in bio to find out more and enter.

📷Megan Buchanan-Smith

17/09/2025

🕰️Going Back in Time 🕰️

🏛️Affectionately known around the globe as Big Ben, the Elizabeth Tower is an iconic British symbol. Built in the Victorian era, its bells have been ringing out over London for over 160 years.

🛠️In 2017, a complex conservation project began on the clock tower, aimed at restoring it to its former glory and ensuring the iconic structure, part of a UNESCO World Heritage Site, could be safeguarded for future generations.

📚In this fascinating article from the Icon archive, Alexandra Miller recounts Cliveden Conservation’s vital role in the conservation works.

🎨From carrying out historic paint research through the extraction of paint chips to gilding and reinstating the original 1850s colour scheme, the team’s expertise has helped to ensure the clock tower can continue to tell time for centuries to come.

🔗Read the full story through the link in bio!

📸 / Jessica Taylor
📸 / Gavin Smith / Alexandra Miller

09/09/2025

🌟 Behind the scenes of The Conservation Studio 🌟

🏛️ This , the People’s History Museum is opening the doors to its conservation studio for a series of guided tours.

🧵 Led by Conservation Manager, Jenny Van Enckevort ACR, the tours will offer an introduction to the conservation profession, with live demonstrations of specialist techniques, and a close-up look at objects currently undergoing treatment.

🤝 Home to the world’s largest collection of trade union and political banners, the Museum will also have a handling banner available for visitors, as part of an ongoing effort to make collections more accessible in a controlled setting!

🗓️ Saturday 13 September 2025
🎟️ Free, booking required

🔗Click the link in bio to find out more!

📸

03/09/2025

✨Introducing the sixth and final Conservation Award for 2025: The Award for Environmental Sustainability in Conservation✨

🌍 The Award for Environmental Sustainability in Conservation acknowledges exceptional projects or conservation professionals championing environmentally focused or sustainable ways of working.

♻️ Our 2024 winner was Alexandra Wade, who took over the Green Group at .archives with the ambition to expand existing efforts in sustainability. From facilitating donations to underfunded schools and charities, to launching a monthly newsletter to engage staff, Alex’s efforts led to increased recycling and waste reduction, rejuvenating the London Archive’s commitment towards building a strong circular economy. Alex will join the panel this year as our specialist judge!

🏆 The Award for Environmental Sustainability in Conservation is sponsored by Utility Aid, with nominations closing on 14 September 2025!

🔗Click link in bio to find out more and enter.

📷 Anna Gallwey

27/08/2025

✨Introducing the fifth of our Conservation Awards 2025: The Award for Conservation Volunteer of the Year✨

🤝The Award for Conservation Volunteer of the Year acknowledges outstanding volunteers working in or alongside conservation.

🏛️The heritage sector relies on the generosity and expertise of its incredible volunteers. Passionate people working to protect and preserve cultural heritage, volunteers make invaluable contributions to the care of many of our most treasured objects and collections.

🌟Whether carrying out collections care work as part of a volunteering team, providing conservation treatment, or ensuring conservation work can take place through behind-the-scenes support, their contribution is essential to everything we do.

🏆 The Award for Conservation Volunteer of the Year is sponsored by the with nominations for 2025 open now!

🔗Click link in bio to find out more and enter.

📷The National Trust

20/08/2025

✨Introducing the final highlight on the Photography Prize 2025 ✨

🏛️This highlight shines a spotlight on the winner from the 2023 Prize, submitted by Gordon Maiwald of Maiwald & Mosse Ltd.

📷This captivating image depicts the railings of Dowdeswell Church. Having been bent following a car accident, the photo captures the railings after flame cleaning, before they were straightened.

🤝Once more, we would like extend our thanks to , the official sponsors of Photography Prize 2025, for their generous support.

📆 Submissions are open until Monday 8 September 2025.

👀Make sure to keep an eye out, we’ll be showcasing the 2025 shortlist ahead of the Member’s Choice vote!

🔗Click link in bio to find more and enter.

📷 , .mosse

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Monday	9:30am - 5:30pm
Tuesday	9:30am - 5:30pm
Wednesday	9:30am - 5:30pm
Thursday	9:30am - 5:30pm
Friday	9:30am - 5:30pm

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http://www.icon.org.uk/

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