Sponges 'lift off' tapestry's 50 years of grime

More than 50 years of grime and "engrained dirt" has been painstakingly lifted off from a tapestry using "many, many make-up sponges".

The Town Tapestry was embroidered by members of Chesham Arts Society to showcase scenes of the Buckinghamshire town.

The town council said it was sent to Zenzie Tinker Conservation, in Brighton, which carried out more than 30 hours of cleaning and restoration work "to safeguard it for decades to come".

It has now been re-hung in the council chambers inside a bespoke frame with acrylic glazing.

The work of art was created "by dedicated community embroiderers", the council said.

An inspection found it was "soiled and grubby with some moth damage" and it was sent off to be cleaned and repaired.

The council shared an image of "previously white sponges" that were now blackened with dirt.

The work was originally painted by local artists before it was embroidered by residents.

It features the Market Hall, that no longer exists, and The Bury, which was about 70% destroyed in a fire on 1 October.

Zenzie Tinker confirmed "many, many sponges" were used as it was "incredibly soiled".

She said it was also heavily stained with nicotine as it had hung in council chambers before indoor smoking was banned.

"We all really loved the embroidery for its skilled execution and now slightly vintage feel and particularly liked it as a piece of community art", she said.

"It is so important to help preserve these types of textile artworks because textiles are very vulnerable to damage from dust, light, pollution and handling particularly when not framed.

"Stories told through textiles - as the far more famous Bayeux Tapestry is currently illustrating, can be really important social and historical documents that everyone can relate to.

"The conservation of the Chesham embroidery will be one we remember really fondly.

"Often it is the preservation of less valuable, family items that give both the clients and our conservation team the greatest pleasure to conserve."

The council said: "The front and back of the embroidery were vacuumed to remove surface dust, before the face of the textile was carefully worked over with make-up sponges to lift off soiling and ingrained dirt."

It was then carefully wiped "with a specialist microfilament material and a 50:50 mix of denatured alcohol and deionised water".

The conservation work was funded by a grant from the Pilgrim Trust.

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