Rob, a white man in his early 20s with medium length brown hair, a short beard and round glasses. He is sat facing the camera whilst smiling and looking off to his right. He is wearing a dark long-sleeve shirt with a small silver leaf pin on the front. The photo is in black and white.

Robert Ware 

(he/him)

Summary

I found the Conservation of Cultural Heritage course after transferring part way through an Architecture degree at Lincoln, when I realised it wasn’t the direction that wanted to go in. An interest in architectural history and preservation of historic architecture led me to this degree. However, through the degree I have found numerous other areas of conservation that interest me greatly, such as book and paper, stone, and sustainable conservation. Discovering more about the world of heritage conservation showed me that it is a fascinating mix of history and science, where observation, investigation, research and analysis can allow you to piece together an object’s history at the same time as the object itself. 

Rob examining the artwork on a page of a schoolteacher’s album book which is supported in a book cradle on a lab workbench.
Artwork examination

Career Aspirations

After graduating, I hope to go straight into working in book and paper conservation, either in an archive, library, museum or private collection. I plan on doing this long enough to gain the relevant experience and expertise to eventually become a freelance paper conservator. 

Other areas which I have an interest in potentially pursuing include sustainable, “green” conservation, and possibly even preservation of outdoor standing stone and stone circle sites. 

Other Projects

Across the degree, I have undertaken practical conservation projects on numerous objects and materials, including ceramics, metal and even archaeological finds. Additionally, I completed a part-time placement assisting with a research project here at the University of Lincoln which aimed to investigate the “Bioreceptivity of Limestone” – looking at different stones’ capacity for supporting biological growth (in this case, algae) for the purpose of matching repair stone on outdoor stone conservation projects. 

Personal Reflection

 From the degree, I have received a broad array of conservation knowledge and skills which will apply to whichever area within the field I eventually lean into. Moving forward, I would like to develop more material specific conservation techniques and know-how, such as for book and paper conservation. 

Exhibition Objects

Click on the image to learn more.

Parchment document – unfolded prior to treatment. The faded cream parchment has multiple areas of damage including a loss in the upper right middle. The parchment is hand illustrated at the top and the calligraphy is in black ink spanning across the bottom section of the parchment. There is an engraving style print of a woman in the top left corner.
Parchment Document, 1702
Schoolteacher’s Album – examining paintings, on the left side there is a watercolour of a pale woman with dark hair looking to her right, wearing a dark red top over a blue undershirt and on the right is of purple flower study winding up the page.
Schoolteacher’s Album