How can conservation provide better access to the Burrell Collection’s Hutton Castle Rooms?

Abstract

Museum conservation and access are often described as being in conflict. Access is
about giving visitors greater opportunities to see and approach objects, which is
seen to be undermined by conservation’s role: to preserve these objects. This is an
unhelpful scholarly standpoint, as in reality, these two priorities need to align to
achieve a successful museum service. This dissertation examines the conservation
and access issues facing the reconstructed period rooms of Hutton Castle in the
Burrell Collection, Glasgow. Although Glasgow Museums prides itself on its
accessibility, display challenges have left these rooms with limited physical and
visual access, since conservation concerns have assumed greater priority. By
examining two specific conflicts - physical access and light - this dissertation
identifies a fundamental uncertainty concerning the role of these rooms, and
analyses National Trust and heritage policies to ascertain whether these might be
successfully applied in this context. Using relevant literature and interviews with
Burrell staff, it proposes an alternative approach: conservation-based solutions to
improve visitor access. This analysis demonstrates that this integrated
conservation-access approach cannot only be applied to the Hutton Rooms case
study, but also to the wider museum/heritage field, for the benefit of all visitors,
present and future.