Feathers, frass and freezers

The Old House Museum in Bakewell has a fascinating costume and textile collection. It's the reason I started writing this blog, so I could share it with a wider audience than those who make it up the hill from the centre of town to visit and see it for themselves. In the last couple of weeks something every curator dreads has happened. Carpet beetle has been spotted in the museum. The Old House Museum is no stranger in dealing with disaster and set back is a positive way. The Museum building was rescued 60 years ago when a local surveyor spotted a call to tender for the demolition of a condemned block of tenement cottages, in a local newspaper. He recognised that part of the house was Tudor and the rest had been redeveloped by Arkwright. The Bakewell and District Historical Society was formed to manage the rescue of this architectural treasure and the rest, as they say, is history. So carpet beetles and their larvae, the charmingly named woolly bears, whilst unwelcome guests, are an opportunity for us all, volunteers and visitors to learn more about them, where they have come from and how to get rid of them.

An area of the solar display area has been given over to checking and packing clothes on display that may be affected. Two freezers are on order and websites and local experts are sharing their knowledge. Information is on show for visitors and plans have been made for training sessions for volunteers.

If you are reading this and are able to help, get in touch with the Old House either through this blog or via their website.

I have mentioned the freezers, frass is the excrement, as fine as grains of sand, and the feathers were part of the boa where we think the infestation began. The beetles can get in through birds' nests and there are jackdaws who nest in the eaves each season, in spite of being discouraged from doing so. The carpet beetle feeds on animal proteins so fur, feathers, natural history collections and the like are particularly at risk. I am guessing that the mild wet winter and recent hot weather has encouraged the infestation too. I'll share updates on the situation on this blog and over the next few posts I will explore some historic ways of getting rid of pests who take up residence in clothing!