Family Bibles

Family Bibles tend to be an important part of family archives as they have been used since the Victorian era to mark down births and deaths of family members. 

Often they are large, heavy and elaborately decorated, sometimes with metal furniture (bosses, corners and clasps). The majority of these books have broken, in that their boards have split away from the heavy textblock. This is usually because the leather has been finely pared, and over time the leather loses its suppleness and begins to split along the opening joints, eventually fracturing and causing the boards to detach. Once the boards are detached the textblock is vulnerable to damage and loss. 

As conservators we aim to conserve the book rather than restore it. We keep as much of the original material as possible and replace it, whilst making the book accessible again. If you prefer to have a new or 'like new' binding then you can approach a book restorer or bookbinder who will be happy to help. 

We undertake all the paper conservation work ourselves and can resew the book if necessary. All the materials we use are conservation grade and our techniques are reversible in accordance with the conservation guidelines outlined by Icon.