Damage assessment:

Glory fades

Too much exposure to light can damage historic artifacts such as paintings, tapestries or other sensitive materials.

Excessive light can cause bleaching and permanent discolouring and it can even weaken fabrics.

And once centuries-old artifacts are damaged – that’s it. They’ll never look as they originally did. 


Identifying the source:

Natural, artificial: it's everywhere...

All light is problematic - the sun's rays and artificial light from lamps.

Our biggest worry is sunlight as it is exceptionally strong and damaging. Visible sunlight causes fading of pigments and dyes and is especially bad for watercolour paintings, feathers and coloured textiles.

The invisible part of the light spectrum, especially the ultra violet section, is exceptionally strong and damaging. It breaks down materials and causes textiles and paper to become brittle and weakened.

Battling the effects of light:

Blind faith

Mostly, we draw the blinds. Sounds simple, but there’s a bit more to it.

With the palace open seven days a week all year round we monitor light levels regularly. Computer-based data loggers inform us about the ongoing light levels.

Keeping the shutters closed all the time would obscure the views inside the magnificent rooms, so we regulate the amount of light in the rooms using the blinds.

We try to allow enough light for you to enjoy the rooms, but not so much as to cause damage. It’s a tricky balance to maintain.