Cliveden Conservation is delighted to be continuing its partnership with Nottingham Cathedral, who have been awarded a £1.69 million grant from The National Lottery Heritage Fund. The Delivery Phase of the £2.3 million Restoring Pugin Project aims to engage over 20,000 people from across the city in this exciting work.
Cliveden Conservation are offering three conservation traineeships at Nottingham Cathedral as part of the Restoring Pugin project. This is a unique chance for early career conservators to work alongside our expert team and gain hands-on experience in the conservation of wall paintings and historic decorative schemes. These placements will provide the opportunity to engage with the wider public, develop professional skills and make a meaningful contribution to the conservation of this historic site.
Read more about the project here.
About the Role
This traineeship offers recent conservation graduates and early career conservators an exciting opportunity to join Cliveden Conservation’s team and work with them on the Delivery Phase of the Restoring Pugin project. Working with our highly experienced and dedicated team of wall painting conservators, you will gain invaluable practical experience and learn the skills and techniques required to pursue a career in the specialism.
With conservation philosophy at the core of all that we do, this traineeship aligns with our values, offering the opportunity to make an active contribution to our work within Nottingham Cathedral, and to meet the wider aims of the project. Cliveden Conservation are committed to sharing knowledge, establishing best practice, pursuing professional development and protecting the environment.
Duties and Responsibilities
- You will work with Cliveden Conservation’s team of wall painting conservators as they embark on the repair, conservation and restoration of the historic fabric and decorative paint schemes within the chapels and ambulatories of the Cathedral’s East End.
- You will support the team of Conservators as they continue the schedule of wall painting investigation trials, using the established methodologies and techniques to define and record the earliest schemes of decoration.
- You will contribute to the team as they produce stencils from tracings and drawings, which will be used to recreate repeating designs across the walls and ceilings of the chapels and ambulatories.
- You will support the team as they conserve the resulting paint exposure windows which are to remain visible, and prepare the remaining elevations for the reinstatement of the earliest decorative schemes.
- You will assist the team in keeping written and photographic records to be included within final reports which will be deposited within the Diocesan Archives and Nottinghamshire County Archives.
- You will contribute to the project’s social media output, writing occasional articles, blogs and posts about your role.
- You will play a key role in sharing details of this phase of the project with wider audiences including visitors, volunteers, students and children, participating in a range of public engagement and consultation activities.
- You will undertake relevant training including health and safety training, mental health awareness training and mentoring and professional development sessions.
For applicants not local to Nottingham, support for travel and accommodation will be offered.
About you
- An undergraduate degree in a relevant conservation subject (either paint or object based).
- A keen interest in materials and desire to learn about the conservation of wall paintings.
- A willingness to work as part of a team, and to share thoughts, ideas and information.
- Good written communication skills with a working knowledge of Outlook and Microsoft 365.
- Good verbal skills and a willingness to speak with a range of audiences (with support).
- Excellent organisational skills and an understanding of the importance of working systematically and documenting progress.
- The ability to work independently under guidance and to meet deadlines
- This traineeship is based at Nottingham Cathedral, and the ability to be based in Nottingham for the duration of the project is essential.
For full details about the role and person specification, please refer to the Trainee Wall Painting Opportunity Pack.
Trainee Wall Painting Opportunity Pack
How to Apply
Please read through the job description and send your CV and cover letter to the following email address: [email protected].
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