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Case Study: Winchester College provides greater access to their picture collections

Winchester College is opening a new public access museum of the decorative arts in autumn 2014. Rachel Wragg is Museum Development Manager at the School: “Winchester College owns a significant collection of some 360 watercolours representing most of the main English watercolourists of the Eighteenth and Nineteenth centuries”, she explains. “The result of three major donations, they were all given as a teaching resource for the school. Previously their housing was secure, but very inaccessible for pupils and curator alike, making it difficult to select works for hanging or monitor conditions. We asked Polstore to provide a secure accessible system that balanced the needs of the pupils against the needs of the collection”.

“I chose Polstore because I had used them on a previous project in another museum and knew the quality of their product. They also provided a competitive quote. They took the time to understand our slightly unusual brief, carefully explained all the options and didn’t mind making a couple of changes. Snagging was done quickly and efficiently and their follow up has been good”.

“The benefits of the new picture racks have been immense”, Rachel says. “The collection is accessible, visible and secure enabling the School to manage it much more efficiently to modern museum and gallery standards. Study access for the boys is much improved. Polstore helped us to maximise storage capacity within the room whilst maintaining sufficient space for the presence of a study group. Selective exhibitions are regularly chosen and curated by the pupils and the Polstore racking has made this process a great deal easier. Improved access has encouraged cross curricular use of the collection and allowed the School to share its collection with other scholars and interested groups”.

“They took the time to understand our slightly unusual brief, carefully explained all the options and didn’t mind making a couple of changes. Snagging was done quickly and efficiently and their follow up has been good.” – Rachel Wragg, Museum Development Manager