The Conservation of the Diocese of London Consistory Court of London Books: Different Approaches for Allowing Access to Archival Bindings

ABSTRACT Archival bindings are interesting yet challenging objects for conservators to treat. The definition of this kind of binding is broad but minor details, such as the use of tackets and different lacing methods to attach the cover to the textblock, make each binding distinctive. Although these bindings exhibit different structures, one of their most common types of deterioration is a pronounced concave spine. When it comes to repairing these bindings, it is important to keep these differences in mind, and therefore conservation treatments need to be developed for each individual item. At London Metropolitan Archives (London, UK), the Diocese of London Consistory Court records offer a great resource for studying this type of binding, and conservators need to find solutions to maintain the potential historical information that a binding feature can reveal. This gentle approach is sometimes challenged by the need to enable safe handling by users, which may require a more interventive measure. This article describes different conservation treatments on three similar archival bindings from the sixteenth century that aimed to fulfil these requirements. Treatment options were chosen to maintain the binding features and allow safe access. We will describe how different approaches have led to different outcomes.