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| RESTORATION | ||
 From the earliest days of the Stacey Hill Collection, now housed at Milton Keynes Museum, Society members have been involved in conservation and restoration activities. Society volunteers can be called upon for a wide range of engineering skills, such as carpentry and metalwork, so that objects from the large to the very small can be retored to their former glory.
When the collection moved into Stacey Hill Farm, there was a need for a workshop large enough to tackle the largest restoration projects. This was housed in the old cart shed where a concrete floor was laid and the front boarded in. Equipped with benches, a circular saw, planer, sandblaster, many hand tools, and a paint store, etc, the workshop has become the scene of many long hours lovingly spent on restoration projects, intended for eventual display in the Museum. The list of items restored by the Society is now extensive. One of the most notable items restored to date is the Roberts Waterwheel, which was not only restored by Society members, but also had a purpose-built building erected to display it. Other projects include a large Ruston Hornsby stationary engine recovered from Bromham Hospital and now in running order at the Museum, where it can be seen working on certain museum open days. Today all restoration is undertaken under the supervision of the Museum Director. Currently Society members are carrying out display and restoration work to recreate The Angel Inn recovered many years ago from Stony Stratford, and now incorporated into the museum's new period street scene. Other restoration work is concentrated on the refurbishment of items to be placed in the shops.
Not all the restoration jobs are complicated, and the majority can be tackled with a wire brush and a lick of paint. But restoration is not just about engineering skills, and there are many other artefacts that require work, and particular specialist skills. If you feel that you can make a contribution to the Museum restoration team then contact the Museum Director, and make arrangements to come along to try your hand. All the restoration work is undertaken at the Museum, much of it by Society members in keeping with the mission to help preserve the past at Milton Keynes Museum. The Stacey Hill Society also carries out Recovery, Restoration, Research, and organises Evening Lectures and Outings. |
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When the Museum suffered a disastrous fire in 1996, many priceless items were lost - members of the Society provided support to the Museum. One of the first items to be recovered and rebuilt was the generator run by the Bromham engine. The picture shows Society members recovering switch gear from the blackened ruins of the farm outbuilding. This had previously been restored by a Society member and he went on to do it again!