Heritage Volunteers

The purpose of Heritage Volunteers is, as the title suggests, to work on projects which assist in the caring for our rich and colourful heritage.

Heritage Volunteers are trained as required to undertake this valuable and rewarding work and over the years Chiltern DFAS Members have acted as guides and stewards in museums, historic houses, churches and national trust properties.

A team of volunteers worked for over ten years in the National Trust’s Textile conservation Workshop at Hughenden Manor. Following rewiring of the library at Windsor Castle, after the disastrous fire, society members, together with groups from other societies, dusted over 43,000 books. A small group “leather dressed” the unique 17th century leather bound books in the Kederminster Library in St Mary’s Church at Langley. Thousands of velum and paper documents dating from the reign of Henry VIII were cleaned for St George’s Chapel at Windsor Castle. This also took some time and after three years effort the work was rewarded with an invitation to attend the Garter Ceremony at the Castle.

Our Vice-President, Earl Howe has a large collection of lace, textiles, uniforms and racing silks which volunteers have carefully packed for safe-keeping at Penn House.

The work with the Household Cavalry’s Windsor Museum preparing items for transfer to their new museum in Whitehall followed by packing for safe-keeping a huge collection of uniforms and military items to be housed in their updated museum and store at Windsor is now completed. Also completed is the work at Eton College where the picture frames were cleaned - of interest to the volunteers was the picture of one Boris Johnson and his brothers.

Work is now progressing on the archiving of papers for the Palmer family at Dorney Court a project which is likely to continue for a number of years.

Volunteers always agree that these projects are very rewarding and we have been privileged to handle some historically very important items whilst at the same time giving an opportunity to meet other members of the society with common interests.