Conservation Internship

Title: Conservation Assistant Intern

Department: Collection Department

Reporting to: Collection Steward

Period Covered: 5-9th October through until 31st January.

**Waddesdon Manor**

Waddesdon Manor is a historic house open to the public. Created by Baron Ferdinand de Rothschild from 1874, it is home to the Rothschild Collection and was bequeathed to the National Trust in 1957. Today it is managed independently by a Rothschild charitable trust, The Rothschild Foundation, under the chairmanship of Lord Rothschild. It currently welcomes in the region of 400,000 visitors per year to the property.

Waddesdon is a dynamic place shaped by three generations of Rothschilds, bringing together a world class collection of art and decorative arts of the 18th century, displayed in original historic interiors including English 18th-century portraits, French 18th-century furniture and porcelain, books, drawings and works on paper, têxtiles and sculpture.

It has a growing collection of contemporary art, a temporary exhibitions gallery and a flourishing exhibitions, education and public events programme. It is also home to one of the finest Victorian gardens in Britain, a working Aviary and is at the heart of the working Waddesdon Estate.

Waddesdon also encompasses a range of commercial activities including retail, catering, a hotel and a conference and wedding business.

**Overall Purpose of a Waddesdon Internship**

An internship at Waddesdon will allow participation in some of the most exciting work in a nationally and internationally renowned institution. This will in turn give interns a number of formal and informal learning opportunities that will assist the recipients with their future careers.

Our aim is to ensure we open the doors of Waddesdon as wide as possible to the future curators, conservators, visitor managers, archivists, gardeners, facilities managers, chefs, waiting staff, stewards, cleaners, events managers, administrators and leaders we may need in the future.

As well as developing talent in our own staff we would also like to give recent graduates, or those interested in working in a similar environment, an opportunity to learn first hand by working alongside us in our daily activities.

**The Collections Department**

The Collection Department is responsible for the care and access, conservation, research and interpretation of the contents of the House and the historic fabric of the building, the sculpture in the Gardens and the historic paper and photographic archive. This includes an annual exhibition programme and the management of a gallery at the Stables used for changing exhibitions and contemporary art. It also includes the Windmill Hill Archive, the Image & Book Libraries and a Textile Conservation Workshop.

The Steward Team is part of the department and comprises stewards and conservation assistants and cleaners who are responsible for the day-to-day care and conservation of the collections, including handling, moving, cleaning and setting up of the Collection ready for opening and the public as well as preparing the House for Christmas and putting it to bed in the Winter. The team also supports special events in the House and additional activities such as filming.

**Main Responsibilities of the intern**
- Provide general conservation cleaning and help in the support of this function including the outdoor statuary being covered.
- To be responsible for vacuuming and dusting of areas in the collection ready for Christmas opening to the public and assist with setting blinds and lights
- To help the conservation assistants with a deep clean of rooms and areas in the house once it has been put to bed in November.
- Provide support to the team with any handling of works of art or changes to exhibitions.
- Provide support to the team for events in the collection, which may include special tours, out-of-hours access, filming and photography or dealing with specialist groups and individuals such as conservators and other consultants
- To gain familiarity with the conservation principles for management of the collections, and understand the mechanisms for control of the environment, including light and RH (relative humidity) monitoring.

**Knowledge, Skills & Experience**
- Interest in or knowledge of an area of art history, history, history of architecture or heritage studies
- Evidence of good manual dexterity and/or manual handling
- Demonstrate an understanding of the kinds of conservation issues which might affect historic houses and their collections
- Ability to work as part of a team
- Organised with a good attention to detail
- Willingness to engage with the public
- Willingness to work at height

**Terms & Conditions**
- Up to 22.5 hours per week,
- Shared accommodation provided on the Waddesdon Estate
- An allowance of £10 towards food or petrol costs for each day of activity. There may be opportunities for paid employment in our other business areas that can run alongside the i