Save the Textile Conservation Centre

From Nell Hoare, Director of the TCC

The last update about the future of the TCC was widely circulated in late spring 2008. It is now timely to provide a further bulletin on the progress of efforts to find a future for the work of the internationally renowned Textile Conservation Centre

The TCC joined the University of Southampton in 1998, since when its staff have achieved much success. Such were their achievements that the University identified the TCC as one of its 14 ‘centres of special excellence’.

However, after an extended review and long consideration the University decided, in December 2007, to close the TCC at the end of October 2009. Those unfamiliar with the background can find more information at www.textileconservationcentre.soton.ac.uk.

In December 2007, the University of Southampton agreed that the TCC Foundation (the Centre’s supporting trust) should lead efforts to find a future for the TCC’s work. For some months the Foundation’s trustees and the University of Southampton have been in discussion with the University of Oxford’s School of Archaeology about the possibility of the transfer of elements of the TCC’s work to Oxford in late 2009. We hope that a decision about whether this development is viable will be made by December 2008.

If an early agreement is reached it may be possible to offer the postgraduate programme in textile conservation and, possibly, the history of textiles and dress and/or museums and galleries as part of Oxford University as soon as the 2009-2010 academic year.

Anyone who would be interested in these courses should contact the TCC on tccuk@soton.ac.uk. For any other queries relating to the TCC please feel free to contact the Director, Nell Hoare (nell@soton.ac.uk).

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