Conservation of a 1622 acetate-laminated book

A major conservation and research project for a 1622 volume from the Sion College collection at Lambeth Palace Library. The work combined extensive material testing and the development of a new method for removing acetate lamination with archival research that reconstructed the book’s provenance and twentieth-century conservation history.

The project

This volume, printed in 1622, forms part of the historic Sion College Library collection held at Lambeth Palace Library. An earlier conservation treatment had laminated its leaves with cellulose acetate, creating a complex challenge: the laminate needed to be removed without causing further damage to the underlying paper or disrupting the printed text.

The project combined extensive examination and testing with treatment of the paper and binding. It also included bibliographical and provenance research to clarify the volume’s history and its relationship to other books within the collection.

Conservation approach

A programme of testing was undertaken to understand the behaviour of the laminate, paper and media, and to assess possible methods of separation. This led to the development of a new approach for removing the acetate lamination in a controlled manner.

Following removal, the textblock was cleaned and stabilised. Damaged leaves and folds were repaired, the sections were guarded and resewn, and the volume was rebound to restore safe handling and use while respecting evidence retained from its earlier structure.

The lamination-removal method developed during the project was adopted by Lambeth Palace Library and continues to be used in the treatment of similarly laminated material.

Provenance research

Archival research traced aspects of the book’s ownership, acquisition and twentieth-century conservation history. This included identifying its earlier association with Archbishop Thomas Tenison and locating records relating to its purchase by Sion College and subsequent repair through a Pilgrim Trust-funded programme.

The research also helped interpret previously unexplained markings and similar treatments found on other books in the collection, contributing new catalogue information for a wider group of Sion College volumes.