Experts are to painstakingly clean over 250 historic items spanning 1,400 years which form the centerpiece of the popular exhibition in the Abbey visitor centre, housed within the spectacular shell of a 17th century banqueting house.
The items, all excavated from the site, include finds from the Dark Ages, including the comb made from animal bone, jet crosses, medieval knife handles and even beer bottles all discarded by 20th century tourists, unaware that their rubbish would be recycled as archaeology 80 years later!
Although dust might seem more of a nuisance than a danger, it is in fact one of the chief enemies of the nation’s heritage. Not only does it make objects unsightly, it also attracts moisture, which accelerates decay and erosion, particularly of metal objects. That is why Whitby’s treasures are kept in tightly sealed glass cases, where humidity and temperature are also constantly controlled.
However, despite all of the precautions, every few years conservators have to don their white gloves and mount a major cleansing exercise, as Susan Harrison, English Heritage Curator, explains.
“It’s a massive job cleaning all the objects,” she says, “but eventually it has to be done. Dust is a very resilient and insidious problem. We use a variety of brushes and specially adapted vacuum cleaners with precisely adjustable suction levels to rid objects of particles.
