On The Move: Relocating Collections

Earlier this year, the Collections Team oversaw the relocation of a significant portion of the Roman Baths collection to an exciting new store.

No small feat, it took several months to plan, prepare, and complete the move.

How we relocated the collection: Planning

The collection varies hugely in scale and context. Roman building stone excavated in Bath, stored previously in vaults under York Street and Bath Street represented some of the largest material to be moved. This contrasted with small boxes of finds including glass and ceramic sherds from the Combe Down Stone Mines and Keynsham sites.

A cross carved in grey stone with the upper half of an identical human face surmounting each arm. The faces have curled hair which meets in the centre, their features finish beneath the cheeks and nose.
A ceiling boss from Keynsham Abbey, one of a group relocated for the move.

Before considering the logistics of moving this material from A to B, we needed an up-to-date inventory of everything. Numerous site visits ensured that each item from the largest to the smallest was recorded with a unique number, current location, measurements, photos and description. This helped us to plan the new space and check everything left the old store and arrived safely at the new one.

This planning phase was also the perfect opportunity to apply some conservation treatments to some of the larger stones, giving them the best start in their new home. Conservators spent some time with us last year ensuring that material previously stored in York Street and Bath Street was in good condition ahead of the move and transferred to crisp new pallets for long-term storage.

Two rectangular stone slabs sitting on a wooden pallet. They are two of nine pieces that form the coat of arms of the Duke of Kingston. They have weathered but appear to depict scrolls, a lion rampant and flower motifs.

Sections of the Kingston Pediment were cleaned and re-palleted in preparation for their relocation.

How we got the new collections store ready for the relocation

Once the inventory was complete and the collection prepared, it was time to plan the new store. In anticipation of sharing the space for tours, our Senior Curator carefully mapped a layout that tells stories of the collection on display.

Distinct areas showcase Roman stone previously stored in York Street and Bath Street; the Combe Down Stone Mine; Keynsham Abbey and Durley Hill Roman Villa; historic furniture.

A dark wood dresser sitting on a plinth with two glazed upper doors and two solid lower doors each with arched features recessed into the front. A carved scroll sits at the top outer corner of each door.
Historic furniture made in Bath or from the city’s municipal buildings were part of the move.

The big moment: Relocating the Roman Baths collection

February saw the moment we’d been waiting for. The project was split into three parts and two teams.

Week 1 – Cliveden Conservation joined us for the first week. They mounted several stone coffins and crates with Keynsham Abbey ceiling bosses onto platforms with castors. This will allow us to move them out from underneath shelving units for better access during future tours and safely store them away again afterwards. Once the storage modifications were complete, they were carefully winched onto the truck ready to go. 

Two yellow straps attached to the crane of a flat-bed lorry are suspending a wooden crate in mid-air containing a Roman coffin.
Up and away - Stone coffins relocating.

This is where the Collections Team split into two pairs – one would remain at the old store overseeing the removal. The other would be based at the new store checking everything in.

Week 2 and 3 – Harrow Green joined us for the remainder of the project. All palletised stone was carefully wrapped and strapped for transport. Pallets and boxes needed to move in a specific order to keep related material together – it often felt like playing Tetris!

We started with the largest material and finished with furniture and smaller voussoir stones from Keynsham Abbey.

A metal shelf lined with padding holds two rows of carved medieval building stones. Five sides of each block of stone are smooth while the front depicts a 3-dimensional diamond and chevron pattern.
Voussoir stones from Keynsham Abbey.

Week 4 – the final phase saw the move of material that was most fragile and susceptible to changes in environment. Artworks Exhibition Services assisted us with this and transported artefacts including metal finds, pottery, tiles, and wooden props, much of which comes from Keynsham Abbey, Roman finds in Keynsham and the Combe Down Stone Mines.

Relocating the collection in numbers

Approximately 8,000 individual objects were moved during this project.

To name a few, this included:

·       183 pallets of large building stone

·       7 coffins

·       92 Crates

·       210 boxes of small archaeological finds

·       50 items of historic furniture

Soon to be welcoming you to the new Roman Baths collection store

Once everything was moved, we closed the old store for the final time and reunited at the new site. A new inventory ensures that everything is accounted for in its new home.

Now that we can access these collections in the new space, there is more work to do to research and record these objects. This will improve our catalogue records and lead the way for future care and interpretation.

Already proving to be a great asset to the museum, we hope to welcome visitors to the new site for tours in the not-too-distant future and share this part of the collection like never before.

Laura

Documentation Manager

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