Ian Watson ACR

12 May 2025

Working at Sussex Conservation Consortium Ltd with my business partner Ruth Stevens ACR, I offer a full range of interventive and non-interventive conservation services. The mainstay of my work is expert interventive conservation treatments of books and archives. I work upon objects from the Medieval period to the present day and specialise in British and European bindings, manuscripts and prints.

Prior to any treatment I will provide written photographic condition assessments and treatment proposals and am happy to provide advice as well as reports as part of funding applications. Several clients have also required their conservation projects to be presented as a talk after the treatments have been completed, both to encourage funding for future conservation and to encourage greater access and awareness of their collections, others have used our high quality digital images of the object during and after treatment to re-launch their collection on-line post-treatment; through which the impact of high quality, well-thought through conservation can be increased and channelled for the protection of our heritage.

Additionally I have 5 years experience working in Preventive Conservation (Lambeth Palace Library 2011-2016) as well as many projects with other institutions since, and so am happy to provide environmental assessments, surveys and reports for whole collections, their buildings and their environments and can offer all levels of non-interventive treatments such as environmental control and building care, shelving, storage and display as well as boxing and secondary housings. I have experience in providing preventive solutions to cater for very limited to well funded budgets.

Art of Glass, H. Blancourt, London 1699 with extensive annotations by 17th Century glassmakers. Guildford Institute Library

A 17th-century printed book, heavily annotated by two 18th-century glassmakers, making it a unique object. Severely mould-damaged, with glued-in notes and detached boards, it was too fragile to handle. The textblock was repaired using toned Japanese tissues, the binding restored with a new leather spine under the original, and a bespoke archival box made. The project concluded with a talk at the Guildford Institute.

Lancelot ‘Capability’ Brown, original working plan for the client’s existing Brown landscape. Private client

An original Capability Brown working plan, rich in hidden details, was under strain from tightened linen lining and adhesive. Tears, cockling, and fragile features like faded ink, scoring, and pinholes were carefully preserved. Strain was alleviated without disturbing original details. The plan was mounted with parchment and flexible slotted mounts to allow movement with humidity, then framed in a sealed, conservation-grade frame.

Westminster Cathedral Treasures Collection. Westminster Cathedral Archive

A remarkable book collection conserved between 2014–2019, including Queen Mary’s illuminated manuscript, rebound adhesive-free for safe use. Julian of Norwich’s early manuscript was repaired and rebound in limp vellum. St. John Southworth’s fragile prayer book, a holy relic, underwent complex treatments to preserve every fragment. Several incunabula and a 16th-c. Book of Hours completed the project, celebrated with an exhibition and talk.

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