Liber Conservation
(Solange Masher)

I am a freelance book conservator. My practice is grounded in the craft of bookbinding, which was my first passion before I discovered the joy of preserving and restoring historical objects.

It started when I wrote a children’s story and made it into a little handmade book for fun. This inspired me to take up bookbinding and then repair. After working for a few years for a freelance conservator, I completed an MA in Conservation. Conservation is a bit like restoration, but the approach is focussed on preservation of historical evidence. Subsequently I worked at the British Library and The John Rylands Library before going freelance less than a year ago at my home studio in Sheffield. I am enjoying having the freedom now to use the craft skills I gained in my training and combine them with my own creative ideas.

The work I do is focussed on paper, parchment, leather, cloth; and the adhesives and chemicals used in their creation and repair. I like to experiment with marbling paper and embossing various materials for use in binding.

Studio visits

My studio will be open 11am – 5pm for visits on the following days:

Saturday May 4th
Sunday May 5th
Monday May 6th

About my studio

For the open studios I will be focussing on bookbinding, demonstrating the leather work and other processes involved. I will have books on display and can also show some repair work and materials.

I’m happy to undertake commissions – please ask!

Studio accessibility

Ground floor with some steps
The studio is in my garden, which can be accessed two ways. Firstly, from the rear on Donnington Road where visitors can park on my driveway (use sat nav S2 2RF). Secondly, there is pedestrian-only access to the front of the house which faces Norfolk heritage park.