Last week, on the 25th January, Scotland celebrated the life and work of one of its most famous poets, Robert Burns. In this week’s post, we celebrate the life of another great Scot, Dr Harold Plenderleith…
Every year, in November, the Icon Scotland Group hosts a lecture in honour of Dr Harold Plenderleith. But who exactly is Plenderleith and what does he have to do with conservation in Scotland? That was the subject of last year’s illuminating lecture entitled “Creating Conservation – Harold Plenderleith’s Life and Legacy” by Gaël de Guichen. De Guichen travelled from Rome to present his reflections on the influence of Dr Harold Plenderleith, a man considered to have pioneered the conservator’s approach to conservation. De Guichen (Adviser to the Director General of ICCROM) began his career in conservation with an internship under the supervision Plenderleith in the 1960s and the two remained friends until his death, so he was ideally placed to discuss his mentor’s impact in the conservation field.
Gaël de Guichen speaking at the 17th Annual Plenderleith Memorial Lecture
D..d..d..drum roll please! The Icon Scotland Group is proud to present its brand new blog! A space for conservators to find out about heritage-related projects and events in Scotland and connect with conservation professionals all over the country. Over the next few weeks we will be posting articles about a wide range of topics; the conservation of musical instruments, the separation of albumen prints, the decay of stone, the experiences of a Scottish conservator in Toyko, as well as reviews of recent training events and lectures in Scotland. Sign up now to get new posts delivered direct to your inbox by clicking the ‘follow me’ button on the right hand side.
If you want to join in the fun and write an article, get in touch! We welcome submissions from conservation professionals in all disciplines at every career stage. Guidelines for articles and information on how to submit can be found in the guidelines tab above. It is hoped that by sharing knowledge and experiences in this blog, connections can be made across disciplines and institutions to form a strong conservation community in Scotland.