Arte Conservation

19 Feb 2026

Founded by Thomas Organ ACR, Arte Conservation Ltd is an independent conservation practice specialising in the investigation, conservation and presentation of historic painted and applied decoration. The practice works across a wide range of substrates including plaster, stone, wood, canvas and mosaics, with particular expertise in wall paintings and architectural decoration.

The studio provides a full conservation consultancy service, including condition surveys, technical analysis, historical research, specifications, and the design and implementation of conservation programmes. Arte Conservation has undertaken projects ranging in date from the early medieval period to the twentieth century, and works regularly for English Heritage, Historic England, the National Trust, cathedrals, churches, museums, and public and private owners of historic buildings. The practice operates throughout the UK and has also completed projects overseas.

Thomas Organ ACR is an ICON Accredited Conservator-Restorer with over forty years’ professional experience. He trained at the Canterbury Cathedral Wall Paintings Workshop, where he later became Director in 1991. Following his tenure at Canterbury, he established Arte Conservation Ltd, leading multidisciplinary teams on complex conservation projects in the UK and internationally.

Tom has lectured widely on wall painting conservation and has contributed to conferences and publications, including The Conservator and All Manner of Murals.

Wall paintings

Arte Conservation specialises in the conservation of wall paintings and architectural decoration across all historic periods. Services include detailed condition surveys, investigative trials, materials analysis and the development of carefully phased conservation programmes. Treatments may involve stabilisation of friable plaster and paint layers, consolidation, reduction of overpaint or limewash, environmental assessment, and sensitive cleaning to reveal surviving detail. Where appropriate, selective uncovering, repair of historic substrates, and restrained retouching are undertaken to improve legibility while respecting significance and authenticity. All works are carried out using compatible traditional and modern materials and are fully documented in accordance with professional conservation standards.

Paintings Conservation & Restoration

Arte Conservation provides remedial, preventive and restorative conservation for paintings, using appropriate traditional and modern materials tailored to each artwork. Treatments include surface cleaning, varnish reduction, consolidation of flaking paint, structural repairs to canvas or panels, stabilisation of damage caused by water, fire or pests, and sensitive filling and retouching to achieve balanced aesthetic outcomes. Full technical analysis can be undertaken where required, and all works are fully documented in line with professional standards. Frame conservation is integral to our service, with specialist facilities for structural repair, gilding, composite and gesso restoration, conservation framing, UV glazing, and preventive mounting for display, loan and long-term preservation.

Mosaics

Arte Conservation undertakes the conservation of historic mosaics across a range of periods and contexts, from early Byzantine to modern architectural schemes. The team has extensive experience in condition assessment, emergency stabilisation, consolidation of tesserae, treatment of historic bedding mortars, and the conservation of associated gilded and painted surfaces. The Director has worked with an international team on the Byzantine mosaics within the dome of Hagia Sophia, Istanbul, as part of a Turkish Ministry of Culture and UNESCO project. In the UK, the practice has recently undertaken conservation work to significant mosaic schemes at Westminster Cathedral. All works are fully documented in line with professional standards.

Gilding

Our team has extensive experience in the conservation of historic gilded surfaces, including picture frames, architectural mouldings, sculpture, altarpieces and decorative schemes. Works include the stabilisation of fragile substrates, consolidation of water and oil gilding, cleaning and reduction of degraded coatings, and the repair of traditional composite, gesso and bole layers. Where appropriate, carefully matched regilding or selective toning is undertaken to restore legibility while respecting age and authenticity. Treatments are carried out using traditional craft techniques alongside modern conservation materials, informed by technical analysis and historical research.

Historic Interiors

Arte Conservation specialises in the conservation of historic interiors, working in situ and within museum contexts. The team has recently completed the restoration of William Burges’s decorative scheme at the Maison Dieu, Dover, involving the conservation and restoration of complex painted architectural surfaces. The practice also undertakes the treatment of large and significant historic interior elements removed for display or reinstallation. Notable projects include the cleaning and conservation of the late 15th-century Hispano-Moresque Torrijos Ceiling from the Palacio de Torrijos near Toledo for the Victoria and Albert Museum. The ceiling has since been re-erected at the V&A East Storehouse in Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park, London, with all works fully documented to professional standards.

Westminster Cathedral’s Decorative Mosaics

At the request of Suzi Pendlebury, Surveyor to the Fabric, a site visit was undertaken on 9 August 2023 to assess the condition, cleaning requirements and conservation needs of the decorative mosaics within the Blessed Sacrament Chapel at Westminster Cathedral. Following the initial inspection, the scope of works was expanded to include the cleaning and conservation of mosaic and marble finishes within the adjacent Chapel of the Sacred Heart.

The Restoration of Maison Dieu’s Interiors

Interior conservation at Dover’s Maison Dieu formed part of the project known as the Reawakening of Dover’s Maison Dieu, which aimed to conserve and revive one of England’s most significant historic civic buildings. The works focused on the restoration of the richly coloured decorative schemes designed by the Victorian neo-Gothic architect William Burges, informed by detailed research and paint analysis. A key element was the conservation of the Mayor’s Parlour, restored for the Landmark Trust.

St Augustine's Shrine, Ramsgate

Conservation of an easel painting by Ferdinand Platner, depicting Our Lady with the Holy Child and the figures of St Augustine and St Thomas of Canterbury, was undertaken at St Augustine’s Shrine, Ramsgate. The painting and its frame were severely flaking, heavily soiled and obscured by discoloured varnish. Treatment included stabilisation, surface cleaning, varnish reduction and conservation of the frame.

Hans Feibusch Nativity Mural, Brighton

Conservation of Hans Feibusch’s 1939 mural at the former St Wilfrid’s Church gave new life to a remarkable work unseen for thirty-seven years. Covering three walls of the former Lady Chapel, the mural forms part of this Grade II listed building designed by Harry Stuart Goodhart-Rendel.

Hatchments

Hatchments, or funeral escutcheons, are painted displays of a deceased person’s heraldic arms, originating in the Low Countries. Frequently neglected or damaged over time, hatchments often suffer from structural weakness, surface dirt and paint loss. Through careful conservation, including relining, surface cleaning, stabilisation and sensitive retouching, their historic and visual significance can be preserved and, where appropriate, sympathetically restored.

Private Clients

As well as working for museums and galleries we undertake the cleaning and conservation of easel paintings for private clients. Here a small, but much-loved family portrait which has become damaged over the years is carefully cleaned and tiny localised losses minutely retouched.

Murals at St Mary’s Church, Bromley

Conservation of the 19th-century wall paintings at St Mary’s Church, Bromley, was undertaken following severe deterioration caused by water ingress and salt contamination. The murals, painted by Ward & Hughes to designs by Thomas Curtis, were surveyed between 2019 and 2020, with emergency stabilisation carried out in 2021 to secure flaking paint and remove salt-laden material. Subsequent works included careful cleaning, consolidation and sensitive reconstruction of several scenes.

St John the Baptist Church, Halling

Arte Conservation first visited St John the Baptist Church, Halling, in 2018 to assess its rare 13th-century wall paintings, thought to form part of a Passion Cycle. Long-term water ingress, surface dust and plaster detachment had left the scenes extremely faint, with the central Crucifixion largely lost. Commissioned by the PCC, proposals were developed for cleaning, stabilisation and improved presentation. In 2025, the team returned to undertake conservation and restoration works.

The Torrijos Ceiling, V&A East

Over a two-year period, Arte Conservation Ltd undertook the assessment and conservation of the Torrijos Ceiling, a rare Hispano-Moresque ceiling dating to around 1490, for the V&A East project. Dismantled in 1992 and held in off-site storage, the ceiling required detailed condition survey, careful cleaning and stabilisation of fragile historic surfaces. The works were designed to preserve the ceiling’s exceptional craftsmanship and decorative integrity, enabling its successful reinstallation.

Arts & Crafts mosaic, church of the Wisdom of God, Surrey

Following a localised collapse of the Arts and Crafts mosaic at the Church of the Wisdom of God, Lower Kingswood, Arte Conservation Ltd carried out emergency stabilisation and surface cleaning to prevent further loss. The works enabled detailed assessment, secured vulnerable areas and carefully removed surface soiling, revealing once again the vivid floral designs of crocuses and snakeshead fritillaries within the decorative scheme.

14th century wall paintings at the church of St Peter & St Paul, Edenbridge

Arte Conservation Ltd uncovered, cleaned and conserved rare 14th-century wall paintings at St Peter & St Paul Church, Edenbridge. During redecoration works, the careful removal of impermeable modern paint layers revealed previously hidden medieval floral decoration and significant figurative scenes, including a large depiction of St Christopher on the south wall. The project involved stabilisation, surface cleaning and sensitive conservation to safeguard these important survivals.

Sir Robert Smirke’s Tattooed Figures From Tahiti

Arte Conservation completed the cleaning and conservation of Sir Robert Smirke’s 1798 painting The Cessation of the District of Matavai in the Island of Otaheite [Tahiti] to Captain James Wilson, acquired by the National Maritime Museum. Commissioned by the London Missionary Society, this striking group portrait records a pivotal moment in Tahitian history. The work was carried out in preparation for display in the Museum’s Pacific gallery.

Wye College, Kent

Arte Conservation Ltd undertook investigation and conservation of the Jacobean staircase at Wye College, Kent. Survey and paint analysis led to the uncovering of original early 17th-century polychromy, including a marbling scheme dating to the 1620s, concealed beneath later blackened coatings. Conservation focused on the rare polychrome sculpture on the carved newel posts. Identifiable figures were stabilised and carefully conserved, informing interpretation and future redecoration strategies.

Banksy’s Valentines Day Mascara, Margate

Arte Conservation Ltd has undertaken the conservation of works by Banksy of varying scale over the past two decades. Shown here is Valentine’s Day Mascara, which was carefully removed by the building owner with the intention of supporting Oasis Domestic Abuse Services in Margate through its sale. Arte Conservation subsequently carried out stabilisation, cleaning and restoration of the mural ahead of its relocation and public display at Dreamland, Margate.

St Paulinus Church, Crayford

Arte Conservation Ltd undertook the assessment and restoration of the alabaster reredos at the Church of St Paulinus, Crayford. A deteriorating 19th-century scheme of alabaster panels at the east end of the chancel had become severely detached and was at risk of collapse. Conservation works included stabilisation and repair of the alabaster, reordering of the east end, and the relocation of the Nathaniel Westlake triptych to a more appropriate liturgical and architectural setting.

Client Testimonials

Arte Conservation were employed at the Maison Dieu (Dover Town Hall) between 2023 and 2025 to research, record, conserve and reinstate William Burges’ Victorian Neo-gothic decorative scheme, revealed beneath layers of more recent paint. The quality of their work in the Connaught Hall and Mayor’s Parlour, stencilling the original design back in place by hand using traditional techniques, was outstanding and widely admired by the public and conservation specialists alike.

Martin Crowther

Maison Dieu Engagement Officer

We appointed Arte Conservation to restore a nineteenth century rerederos, situated behind the altar in a Grade 2* listed church, which had significantly degraded over time. It was a complex project, involving, dismantling, repairing and cleaning stonework, removing and restoring zinc boards and associated paintwork. Arte helped us identify appropriate methods and the team worked with real care and attention to detail to ensure that this unique feature was successfully restored.

Thomas Crane

The PCC of St Peter’s Church Grandborough

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