Grant received for conservation of Judge's Coach

Hereford’s historic Judge’s Coach is to benefit from a conservation grant from the Museums, Libraries and Archives council for the West Midlands, so will get an early spring clean before it goes on view in the city’s Cathedral.

The £1,250 grant, which was applied for by Herefordshire Council’s Heritage Services team, means the coach, currently housed at the Museum Resource Centre in Friar Street, will undergo light cleaning of the painted exterior and conservation cleaning of the material covered interior and trappings.

The Coach was built in about 1830, and has been stored in a variety of locations throughout Hereford.

An independent conservator reported that the interior of the coach was in “fair condition although soiled” and “would benefit from surface (conservation) cleaning”.

The grant application was submitted by staff at the Hereford Museum & Art Gallery for conservation work to be undertaken on several artefacts in preparation for the Every Object Tells A Story exhibition.

This exhibition runs from Saturday, January 21, until Saturday, March 4, in Hereford Museum’s art gallery in Broad Street.

The Judge’s Coach will be displayed in Hereford Cathedral from Saturday, January 21, to Sunday, February 26, and can be seen daily between 9.15am and Evensong.

There will also be a supporting joint exhibition in the Mappa Mundi and Chained Library Exhibition from Monday, January 30 until Saturday, February 25.