Drying out water damage

Like all property owners, sometimes the National Trust for Scotland has to call the emergency plumber. This is what happened at Newhailes House earlier this year when a flood was discovered.

Our emergency protocols kicked in and the water was stopped and the collections removed really quickly, which meant that the damage was minimal.

Responding to an incident like this, even when the damage is limited, takes time and expertise from all over the Trust. There are lots of decisions to be made – everything from the best way of drying out delicate textiles to how to re-route visitors.

Newhailes House has had a busy summer season, with the clean-up effort carrying on behind the scenes. The work took a significant step forward this month with the return of almost 600 books to the house, some of which date back to the 1600s.

After being frozen and preserved by one of the country’s most respected book conservators, the books have been safely returned in acid-free cardboard boxes to the house and will now be left to acclimatise at their original home of Newhailes.

Since the flood, the carpets have been removed to be frozen and cleaned, and the floorboards have been taken up and replaced. Ongoing tasks include restoration of the textile collection and the ceiling of the Chinese Sitting Room.