Alford Manor House in conjunction with the University of Lincoln are undertaking a project to help catalogue their collections in their Rural Life Barn and in the house itself. An opportunity arose to complete a condition survey of their archive to support this. The archive is on the top floor of the house and is currently used just as storage. To provide a condition survey objectives set were to: research the current standards and processes for condition surveys; assess the archive at Alford, identifying materials, storage and a creating suitable survey; determine the condition of the archive by completing a condition survey and make recommendations relating to the survey on ways to improve the archive. These objectives were achieved through research in the literature review and completing a pilot before beginning the actual survey. Along with the analysis of results and recommendations were made after completing the survey. The survey gave a wide range of in-depth results, the key result being 31% of objects are in a poor or unacceptable condition. This is reinforced by 97% of the assessed objects containing some form of damage which in part explains the higher percentage of higher condition grades. A recommendations resource was made for Alford, in which the key recommendations for change were to reorganise the storage of the objects and encourage the use of inert packing materials. Improving this can also help improve the organisation of the archive. In summary this survey has given knowledge and understanding of the archive at Alford Manor House that had not been achieved before and the contents of this dissertation and the recommendations resource can provide a basis for improvement to the archive.
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