It's been an extremely busy time for me this past fortnight. My family are in the process of moving house, and last Thursday saw us closing the door on the house that has been home for the past 13 years and handing over the keys to a new family. Whilst we wait to be able to move in to our new home, we are currently living with my Stepmum. By the time I come back from my internship, they will have moved in to the new house, which is something to look forward to!
Whilst we were packing boxes for what seemed like eternity, my Dad was teasing me about my clumsiness. It's something that, when pointed out to me, tends to be amplified tenfold. It was then that he showed me an old Only Fools and Horses sketch which, whilst funny, made me extremely nervous about a similar incident that I hope never happens during my time at Basildon Park.
After my last post, which explained how I applied for the internship, I wanted to take this opportunity to explain a bit more about what the internship will ential during my time there. The following is adapted from a document that Conservation Assistant, Emma Turner, distributed prior to my interview.
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The interns will have responsibility for a specific project as well as helping with the day to day running of the house. In the past these projects have included subjects as diverse as:
- The continued research of the Crimson Bed: a very special William IV bed that keeps presenting more and more questions about it’s history.
- Learning more about the Iliffes’ restoration of Basildon Park in the 1950s.
- Textile survey of the entire collection looking at their condition and future care.
- Helping prepare the property for a Museum Accreditation review.
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| William IV 'Crimson Bed', Basildon Park |
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At the end of the internship I will have learned:-
- I will have a through understanding of who the National Trust is, its vision, objectives, values and behaviours.
- I’ll have developed knowledge of a range of preventative conservation techniques, methods of environmental controls and specialist cleaning techniques.
- I’ll have an understanding of how the different property teams come together to run a historic property after having spent time with Visitor Services, Events and Garden teams.
- My communication skills will have improved as I undertake Tour Guide training and run my own tours, carry out Conservation in Action activities and act as a Room Guide.
- I’ll have a clear understanding of working with volunteers.
- I’ll have the opportunity to leave a lasting legacy through my personal project.
- I’ll have the opportunity to develop skills that will be of value to me through my future career development.
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What’s involved?
- Learning about Basildon Park as a whole including a basic history of the house, gardens and estate.
- Undertaking basic conservation cleaning tasks, cleaning and preparing the house for daily opening.
- Assisting in the day to day management and conservation of the house and collection i.e. the monitoring of pest activity and light levels and assisting specialist conservation staff as necessary.
- Assisting visitors to the house who have enquiries about Basildon Park and National Trust and helping to share our story.
- Helping to protect house and collections by communicating the Conservation message and helping to maintain accurate records and inventories.
- Taking part in ‘Conservation In Action’ demonstrations, requiring engagement with supporters and visitors to interpret and explain our conservation work to a wider audience.
- Giving any other appropriate assistance in relation to being a Conservation Assistant as may be reasonably requested.
- Undertaking a personal project
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I hope this has provided some more insight in to what my role will be at Basildon Park. However, I will be updating this blog as regularly as possible during my time there to share with you all my progress. After writing this, I am more excited than ever!
Since my last post, I have been able to email the two other interns, Helen and Jess, who are also taking part in the same internship as I am. I will be living with Jess, and look forward to meeting both her and Helen in a few days time.
Look out for my next post, in which I plan to write a small background on the history of Basildon Park, and why I find it so fascinating.
Until then,
Best wishes,
Craig
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