The Janie Lightfoot Textiles conservation studios are based in North West London. The company was established 47 years ago and has a long history working with museums, historic houses, places of worship, art galleries, auction houses, private collectors and members of the public.
The team has a broad skill base allowing us to take on a wide spectrum of projects, ranging from large three-dimensional textiles to fine intricate objects.
Along with traditional textile conservation practices such as cleaning, conservation repair stitching, lining and mounting of costume, tapestries, embroideries and carpets, we also offer the following services:-
- Condition Surveys
- Installation of large textiles in domestic and public buildings
- Consultation for collection care, pest management and environmental monitoring
- Conservation framing
- Photographic services
- Display and exhibition methods
- Historical research
Helena by Magdelena Abakanowicz
Out Shopping – The Dresses of Marion & Maud Sambourne (1880-1910)
Conserving the ‘Hajj and the Arts of Pilgrimage Collection’ for Professor Sir Nasser D. Khalili
Cleaning a 1930’s 12ft smoke damaged taxidermy giraffe
A treasured ABC’s picture book made in 1948 during rationing from an assortment of materials
A WWII Armband worn by a soldier after the liberation of Bologna in Italy in 1945
One of five water-damaged copes
Conserving an 18th Century Gobelin Tapestry
Biography
Janie Lightfoot ACR
Janie is the founder of Janie Lightfoot Textiles which she set up over 47 years ago. As an accredited conservator, she has worked extensively in the public and private sector both nationally and internationally, including recent projects in the Middle East, South Africa, Albania and India.
Janie acts as a consultant for several major institutions, is a frequent speaker at conservation and textile conferences, is published and has taught in many areas of conservation.
She is an associate lecturer for the University of the Arts London, a mentor for the Institute of Conservation’s Professional Accreditation Scheme, assessing applicants of all disciplines and a CPD (Continued Professional Development) reader and also prepares and provides School Work Experience Programmes.
Client testimonials
During our ongoing collaboration with JLT we have had a huge variety of textiles conserved by Janie and her team. These have varied from Florentine Renaissance damasks, Fatimid cotton and linen Tiraz fragments, a Mamluk child's shoe, sixteenth century Iranian Safavid and seventeenth century Mughal Indian velvets and a Tapa from the Solomon Islands.
Each piece has been treated with the same professionalism irrespective of it’s financial worth.
We have every confidence in recommending JLT not only for the extremely high professional standard of their work but also for their diligence in getting difficult projects delivered on time and within the agreed budget.
The Keir Collection
Ranros Universal SA
The Khalili Family Trust have been working with JLT since 2009. In that time, they have undertaken extensive work, conserving nearly 200 textiles.
Among the many large and complex pieces they worked on there were several silver-wire embroidered silk curtains (some 6x3.5m) made for the door of the Ka’bah in Mecca and a number of similarly embroidered covers for the mahmal, a ceremonial palanquin some 4m in height. They have also designed and built the frameworks to display these 3D textiles and have provided us with superb digitally produced manuals with clear assembly instructions which have hugely facilitated their installation at several exhibitions worldwide.
JLT have also worked on a number of extremely delicate, painted talismanic coats and hangings. They have come up with some ingenious solutions to complicated problems and have always been more than willing, and able, to rise to a challenge.
The Nasser D Khalili Collection of Islamic Art
The Khalili Collections