The Textile Conservation Centre Foundation
HRH The Princess Royal meets students at the official opening of the new Centre
Lady Shaw Stewart, Chairman of the TCC Foundation
Brief Background
The TCC Foundation (registered charity no. 269430) ran the Textile Conservation Centre from 1975-1999, when the TCC was independent and based at Hampton Court Palace. The merger with the University of Southampton was negotiated by the Foundation and it also oversaw a major capital campaign to raise funds to support the move. After the merger with the University of Southampton the TCC Foundation continued to support the work of the TCC, mainly through support for fundraising.
The University of Southampton closed the TCC in 1999 and the TCC Foundation secured a future for the Centre's work by agreeing with the Unviersity of Glasgow to establish a new Centre for Textile Conservagion and Technical Art History, which opened in 2011.
In addition, the TCC Foundation supported efforts to raise awareness to conservation and contribute to the debate about its role and importance, by commissioning research by Demos, 'It's a Material World: caring for the public realm'. The Foundation also commissioned a report reviewing conservation education in the UK, which has helped to inform the development of Icon's strategy for conservation education.
The TCC Foundation's Trustees are: Lady Shaw Stewart Chairman, pictured right), Steve Kennett (Hon Treasurer), Liz Arthur, Dr Mary Brooks, Paul Gismondi, Lady Smith of Kelvin and Kirsten Suenson-Taylor. Brief biographies of the Trustees are attached below. The Foundation's former Chairman, The Marquess of Douro, is President. The Trustees are assisted by Clare Daly, Company Secretary, and by Nell Hoare, who focuses mainly on fundraising.
The Future: The Centre for Textile Conservation and Technical Art History
The Trustees of The Textile Conservation Centre Foundation worked tirelessly to ensure that the work of the TCC was not lost forever as a result of the University of Southampton's decision to close the Centre in October 2009. Peter Longman, then the Foundation's Deputy Chairman, led the negotiations with Glasgow University, assisted by Nell Hoare, fomer Director of the TCC, who is working for the Foundation on a consultancy basis.
Agreement was reached with the University of Glasgow in 2010 and the new Centre for Textile Conservation and Technical Art History opened there in September 2010. The Foundation made the assets of the TCC freely available to Glasgow University, these include equipment, the TCC Library and intellectual property. On the Foundation's behalf Nell Hoare (formerly Director of the TCC) undertook a fundraising campaign to raise funds to cover the development costs of the new centre in Glasgow. A total of over £475,000 was raised from external sources: funders were incredibly supportive as they were as keen as the TCC Foundation to ensure that the TCC's internationally significant work could continue.
The new Centre for Textile Conservation and Technical Art History was formally opened by HRH The Princess Royal in February 2011. The Centre's staff are led by Frances Lennard, Senior Lecturer in Textile Conservation, who leads the textile conservation strand. Dr Erma Hermens leads the Centre's technical art history strand.
