Plowden & Smith

03 Sep 2025

Plowden & Smith is a leading provider of fine art and object conservation, collections care and mount making.

Our specialist departments contain a formidable range of knowledge. With a diverse skill set and vast experience finding innovative, long lasting solutions for some of the most challenging restoration projects, in many areas our expertise is unmatched.

Conservation work can be undertaken both on-site or from a fully equipped studio with full insurance cover. In addition to working throughout the UK we undertake restoration and exhibition projects for galleries, collectors and museums located all around the world.

For international clients we can operates under inward-processing relief for works coming into our studios from overseas.

Plowden & Smith, established in 1966 by my father Peter Smith and Anna Plowden, undertakes work for a wide range of museums, institutions, heritage organizations, churches and private collections.

Conservation Mountmaking

The correct mount/support for objects is one of the most important preventative conservation decisions that can be made from individual collectors to institutions. An object’s mount is the material that the artwork or historic piece is in prolonged contact with and can, within an enclosed display, form or contribute to the microclimate within which the object exists.

With over 50 years of experience in mountmaking for museums, galleries and private clients, conservation is at the forefront of all decisions when producing a bespoke mount and preparing an object or artwork for display.

Contemporary Artworks with Electrical Components

Our director Kevin Smith ACR specialises in the restoration of contemporary artworks and installation pieces that include electrical components e.g. neon, LED and incandescent lighting, mechanical or moving elements, audio and video installations.

Hailes Abbey Museum Mountmaking

Hailes Abbey was one of England’s most important monasteries and a key pilgrimage site. One challenge facing a visitor to Hailes Abbey is the fact that it was systematically destroyed during the Suppression of the Monasteries in the 1530s. The remaining architectural fragments are large, heavy and are liable to crack under their own weight if not handled correctly. To display these elegantly and securely we designed a series of strong but unobtrusive support shelves and weight bearing plinths.

Hailes Abbey Museum Mountmaking

Large exhibits included a magnificent 13th century ceiling boss. Working with large, heavy stone fragments and crumbly stucco figures showed our breadth of experience and the extent of our investment in tools and equipment to successfully complete these contrasting challenges.

Hailes Abbey Museum Mountmaking

As a mounting and installation project, Hailes Abbey Museum used our wide skills range to display a wide variety of objects. Mount making played a crucial role in bringing to life the museum’s collection of small, everyday objects such as this fragment of a 14th-century monk’s spectacles found at Hailes Abbey.

Silverdale Mining Tribute

Plowden & Smith Ltd carried out comprehensive restoration and conservation of the mining tribute memorial monument (originally installed 1996) located in Silverdale, near Newcastle-under-Lyme. Plowden & Smith oversaw the safe deinstallation, transport, conservation and re-installation onto its plinth in 2020. We are proud that this project won the Public Statues and Sculpture Association (PSSA) 2021 Marsh Award for Excellence in the Conservation of Public Sculpture.

Biography

Kevin Smith ACR

With over 40 years experience in conservation and restoration, specialising in the area of preventive conservation and microclimate control, I have been a director of Plowden & Smith since 1999 and led the exhibitions and Mountmaking department.

My initial training and practice was in archaeology and metals conservation, I then moved into the area of mountmaking & collections care which has brought me into working with a wide spectrum of objects from the prehistoric to contemporary.

I have been responsible for the installation of several high profile exhibitions in the UK and worldwide, including project manager for the Bank of England permanent Museum and other individual projects. I created the database used for the assessment of three collections held by the Royal Artillery Museum, Woolwich.

Plowden & Smith was founded by my father, Peter Smith, and Anna Plowden. I am immensely proud of their legacy and upholding their standards in conservation, as such I am a member of the awarding committee for the Plowden Medal.

Client Testimonials

As you probably know, Samson returned to Norfolk on Monday, amongst much excitement from colleagues here at Norfolk Museums Service. He is looking truly splendid!

It has been a complex project in so many ways and full of challenges from all angles. But I just wanted to express my gratitude to everyone at Plowden & Smith who contributed to this project and who have been so helpful and accommodating.

Man-Yee Liu
Head of Conservation, Norfolk Museums Service

We were delighted with the work of Kevin, Adam and the team. The mounts they produced really complemented the design. It was really helpful having them onsite with us throughout the installation period, meaning that they could respond to our changing ideas.

Dr Ian Leins
Curator of Archeological Collections (West), English Heritage

I thoroughly recommend a Plowden & Smith condition report to any client considering buying a work of art. The process is seamless and the reports themselves always show an outstanding attention to detail – a testament to the knowledge and expertise of their conservators.

Louise R.
Independent Fine Art Consultant

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