Obituary: Hermione Sandwith

Birkbeck alumna and pioneer in conservation practice

Graduating with a degree in History of Art from Birkbeck, Hermione Sandwith quickly secured a job as a secretary at the National Trust. Before long she was at the forefront of changes which would raise the Trust's standard of care to match that of the national museums.

With fellow Trust employee Sheila Stainton, Sandwith compiled a manual of recommended conservation practice for managers of the Trust's houses. Subsequently published as The Manual of Housekeeping (Allen Lane, 1984) it has since been translated into several languages. Now in an expanded second edition, it remains the only publication written specifically for curators of house museums.