Assessment: The fringed banner was made of navy blue banner silk with appliquéd silk coat of arms, which consisted of two cream horses either side of a cream and light blue shield. The banner was fragile with large areas of loss, with both ingrained and surface soiling. As part of a previous treatment, the banner had been covered with cotton net. Due to the dimension changes over time the banner had become cockled and split as the net had tightened. The fringe was complete with four areas of weakness, but was heavily soiled.

Options and considerations: Lining. The condition of the lining was problematic as it was very fragmented and fragile. Two treatment options were considered. A. Full conservation treatment keeping elements of the banner together. This would have been time consuming and therefore costly. B. Replace the lining. A new lining would provide a good dust cover for the conserved banner. An important consideration as the banner was to go on open display. This approach would also be less time consuming and therefore a cheaper option. After consultation with the client option B was chosen, making a bespoke bag to keep the fragments in, which was retained with the original banner pole and documentation. Fringe. The client had requested that the banner hung in landscape orientation instead of portrait, as was its original intention. This had implications on the placing of the fringe and the construction of a new hanging method.

Pros: 1. The fringe had been documented and removed to enable conservation treatment it could therefore be re-attached in a different configuration if required. 2. A new lining was to be attached and therefore a new hanging method would have to be made whichever orientation was chosen. 3. The banner had been well documented, so its original use was clearly recorded.

Cons: 1. This was not the original intention and therefore this could be mis- interpretation of the banner. 2. The fringe would be bent in different locations, as the positioning of the corners would be different, causing new areas of stress on different areas. Having thoroughly considered the ethical questions, I felt that the pros outweighed the cons. For these reasons I was confident that replacing the fringe and the re orientation of the banner was acceptable.

Organisation: The studios were the work was being undertaken was in Hastings. The materials were dyed in a studio in Essex and I was based in the Midlands, therefore organisation of this project was paramount. The project was worked on sections at a time. Lists were made at the end of each week to ensure that the correct materials and equipment were available for the next week of work. Fabric samples were taken to Essex, to ensure an accurate bulk dye. H&S: Masks and gloves were worn prior to surface cleaning and during the adhesive treatment. Small quantity dispensing bottles were employed where needed and risk assessments generated.

The client was kept informed of progress and visited the studio to view the work and discuss the progress. Advice was given on display and future care as well and packing and transportation. The conservation of the banner was written up in the Innholders newsletter and a presentation of the final report was made at a dinner, which I and my colleague attended once the banner had been hung.