Conservation Management Plan - Tamworth Borough Council

Likewise the plaster ceilings of rooms beneath the main visitor route are also suffering from significant footfall at
Special Events like Heritage Open Day when the castle is free entry.
The forthcoming display of the Staffordshire Hoard in August and September 2011, will attract large numbers of
visitors. It is important that a policy of timed ticket entry is developed, with a maximum number of visitors per day,
to protect the fabric of the castle and also improve visitor management and the visitor experience.
The route up to the castle via the ramped walkway on top of the herringbone wing wall is also vulnerable to
damage as well as being unsuitable for prolonged periods of queuing.
Policies that relate to these issues:
B3.5; C1; C:2; E 1; E4; F3
2.3.8 Risks of damage to furniture
Most furniture displayed in room settings is at some degree of risk from visitor wear and tear. Measures are in
place to protect main room settings behind rope barriers and through room stewards/custodians. Seat furniture
throughout the castle needs a consistent means of deterring visitors from sitting, (The National Trust makes very
effective use of dried teasel heads!) whilst those modern chairs provided for visitor comfort and to relieve ‘museum
fatigue’ need to be clearly indicated. There is some confusion amongst visitors at present.
A more serious risk to furniture is represented by the special events organised in the castle. These create risk of
damage from crowded conditions within the rooms and from visitors placing things on surfaces or re-enactors
placing candles or other hot items on wooden surfaces. A heavy concentration of people in the castle also
exacerbates the general risk of damage to the fabric of the building.
Policies that relate to these issues:
C1; E1; E4
2.3.9 Pest damage and timber decay
The castle has historically suffered from attack by death watch beetle, furniture beetle, woodworm and dry rot
in both north and south ranges. A survey of timber decay in nine separate areas was carried out in 2006, on the
recommendation of the last condition survey. It noted significant wet rot decay to timbers in three areas, but no
current wood-boring insect activity (Ridout 2006). However active woodworm activity was noted in the lath and
plaster partition walls of the wine cellar and in the partition walls of the Banqueting Hall of the north range in 2010.
Timber work needs to be regularly monitored for signs of decay as this can lead to structural problems. There needs
to be a regular programme of cleaning and monitoring of pest control traps and all furniture and wooden items
brought into the castle need to be checked for evidence of beetle infestation. One of the former collections stores
off site had evidence of active furniture beetle infestation and this could have been a source of the pest.
Policies that relate to these issues:
B2; C2; H4.2
2.3.10 Regular programme of repairs and maintenance
Regular maintenance programmes with time-tabled schedules of tasks, inspections, monitoring and repairs are
designed to prevent problems arising or to catch them before minor damage becomes major. In the long term they
save expenditure on repairs. The carrying out of works of maintenance or repair in response to problems occurring
is not an adequate regime for an historic building, and the standards applied to the maintenance of modern council
buildings will not be appropriate.
Proper standards and procedures may need to be drawn up with the advice of the consultant conservation architect
and English Heritage.
Policies that relate to these issues:
B1; B2
70 Part 2 www.marionblockley.co.uk Tamworth Castle Conservation Management Plan