The Hereford Map, The First Annual Condition Report

The Hereford Mappa Mundi is one of the great works of medieval cartography. It is a large size map which consists of multiple skins of thick parchment with overlapping adhesive joins. Due to the size of the map overall cockling has been one of the main problems during its conservation making the treatment of the object extraordinarily complex.

Chris Clarkson's work on this map has led to the development of new techniques which are specially designed to allow it to be safely displayed in the cathedral museum. The support for the map and the display case were also designed specifically for this object and offer new solutions for the display of oversize parchment material.

This report is a complete record of the work that was done on the object, illustrating various techniques which can be used in the conservation of similar objects.

Christopher Clarkson is a renowned book conservator and historian, and a leading authority on the conservation of medieval manuscripts. He graduated from the Royal College of Art, London in 1964, and then trained for many years under S.M. Cockerell (Cambridge, England) and later, with Roger Powell. He has taught graphic design, wood engraving, and fine bookbinding at leading London art colleges.

In 1972, he moved to the United States, where he assisted in the design and establishment of the first conservation facility for special collections at the Library of Congress in Washington DC. He has worked extensively on the collections of major museums such as the Smithsonian Institution (Washington), the Walters Art Gallery (Baltimore), as well as the The National Gallery of Art in London. In 1979 he returned to England to work at the Bodleian Library, Oxford where he organised and managed the Book and Manuscript Programmes for Oxford University. From 1987 onwards, Clarkson ran an internship training program on the conservation of books and manuscripts at the Edward James Foundation in West Sussex.

Since 1998 he has focused on his private practice in Oxford and is presently a conservation consultant to the Bodleian Library, Hereford Cathedral Mappa Mundi & Chained Library. In 2004 he won the Plowden Gold Medal, a prestigious annual award to recognise the most significant recent contribution to the advancement of the conservation profession.

Current Research

Recent projects include the Fox Talbots album No. 2; working with the St. Catherine's Library Conservation team at Camberwell College of Arts on the ongoing Codex Sinaiticus - 'New Finds' project; collaborating with the British Library on the forthcoming Facsimile of the Codex Sinaiticus; and private conservation of various medieval manuscripts, as well as Wordsworth Trust & National Trust materials.

• Author