0:00:02 > 0:00:06In an idyllic Sussex landscape created by master gardener Capability Brown,
0:00:06 > 0:00:09sits one of Britain's finest stately homes,
0:00:09 > 0:00:11Petworth House.
0:00:13 > 0:00:18Thanks to the National Trust, it's now open to us all.
0:00:18 > 0:00:24Except during winter when, like most the Trust's homes, Petworth shuts the public out.
0:00:25 > 0:00:29When the house is closed, however, it's far from quiet.
0:00:32 > 0:00:37Normally, nobody gets to see what happens here during the winter months.
0:00:37 > 0:00:40But this year, I've been given unique, privileged access
0:00:40 > 0:00:41to see what goes on behind the scenes.
0:00:44 > 0:00:47When the public has gone, the National Trust's expert conservation teams
0:00:47 > 0:00:51get the chance to do some housekeeping, on an epic scale.
0:00:51 > 0:00:56The paintings are fantastic, the furniture's amazing, the story is incredible.
0:00:57 > 0:01:01I had no idea until I took on this task how filthy the visitors were.
0:01:05 > 0:01:08And THIS winter, Petworth's got a new cleaner.
0:01:08 > 0:01:12- I can see that I've made a difference.- Have you waxed it?- No.
0:01:12 > 0:01:15It's a rare chance to get hands on with history.
0:01:15 > 0:01:21- Ooh!- It's heavy. And glimpse the secret life of a great country house.
0:01:23 > 0:01:28On my first visit, I'll discover how a house can be put to bed...
0:01:29 > 0:01:32..learn the secrets of a 600-year-old book
0:01:32 > 0:01:35and do the dishes, the National Trust way.
0:01:37 > 0:01:41I'm joining perhaps the biggest spring clean in the world,
0:01:41 > 0:01:45which all takes place during the freezing months of winter.
0:02:04 > 0:02:08I'm really looking forward to my winter at Petworth,
0:02:08 > 0:02:14because not only is it one of England's really great country houses, stuffed with treasures,
0:02:14 > 0:02:18but it's a house that has meant a lot to me personally.
0:02:18 > 0:02:21I was brought up for a lot of my childhood in Sussex
0:02:21 > 0:02:23and I visited the house often.
0:02:23 > 0:02:26But this time round, I'm hoping to see a whole new side to the place.
0:02:32 > 0:02:37From the 12th century, Petworth was owned by the high-powered Percy family,
0:02:37 > 0:02:40one of whom, Hotspur, even turns up in Shakespeare.
0:02:40 > 0:02:44Now 100,000 visitors come here a year.
0:02:45 > 0:02:48But from today, they won't be let in.
0:02:48 > 0:02:50Along with many of the National Trust's properties,
0:02:50 > 0:02:54Petworth House is now closed, for four and half months.
0:02:55 > 0:02:59You might wonder whether that's, strictly speaking, entirely necessary,
0:02:59 > 0:03:02but apparently the answer is very much so.
0:03:02 > 0:03:07What exactly it is that they get up to during that entire third of a year,
0:03:07 > 0:03:09well, that's what I'm here to find out.
0:03:14 > 0:03:16It's November 5th.
0:03:16 > 0:03:20Yesterday was the last in the year when the public could visit.
0:03:20 > 0:03:21Hello?
0:03:21 > 0:03:24Now the place is off limits to everyone...
0:03:24 > 0:03:27except me...and the housekeepers.
0:03:33 > 0:03:36They're not your average cleaners.
0:03:36 > 0:03:38They're Petworth's conservation team.
0:03:38 > 0:03:42I've been told to report for duty at their storeroom.
0:03:42 > 0:03:46But it's not easy for an art lover to stay on track, when surrounded by
0:03:46 > 0:03:50the largest collection of paintings in the whole National Trust.
0:03:50 > 0:03:52I've managed to get lost already. But you know what?
0:03:52 > 0:03:57I don't really mind, because the collection's so fantastic.
0:03:57 > 0:04:00There are more Van Dycks in here than you can shake a hoover at.
0:04:07 > 0:04:09Though this part of house isn't in the guide book.
0:04:09 > 0:04:13It's where I hope to find Petworth's longest-serving housekeeper.
0:04:13 > 0:04:15KNOCK ON DOOR
0:04:15 > 0:04:18- Come in.- You must be Jacky! - I am, how do you do?- Hi.- Hello.
0:04:18 > 0:04:23- I'm Andrew. Very nice to meet you. So, day one.- Yes. Day one, hooray.
0:04:23 > 0:04:26This is everything we need to clean the house.
0:04:28 > 0:04:31Hoover bags and filters, every size of latex glove.
0:04:31 > 0:04:35Then you've got masks for really dusty situations and so on, there's two sorts there.
0:04:35 > 0:04:38Everything we use is natural, we don't use man-made for anything.
0:04:38 > 0:04:42Synthetic can be quite abrasive.
0:04:42 > 0:04:44I see you've got more than one kind of brush here.
0:04:44 > 0:04:48What would you use, say, a pony hair brush for?
0:04:48 > 0:04:51Feel that. It's very, very soft.
0:04:51 > 0:04:54We use that on gilding, on anything that's really, really delicate.
0:04:54 > 0:04:59- This one is hog's hair brush. That's quite a bit stiffer.- Oh, yeah, yeah.
0:04:59 > 0:05:02That's for sculpture and furniture and things like that.
0:05:02 > 0:05:05These are for cleaning the faces of the paintings.
0:05:05 > 0:05:08- This is a badger hair brush. - Badger hair?- Very, very soft.
0:05:08 > 0:05:11Which rather begs the question, how does one pluck a badger?
0:05:11 > 0:05:16- I don't know.- You don't pluck your own badger brushes? - No! Afraid not, sorry.
0:05:17 > 0:05:22Winter at Petworth clearly isn't a time for taking things easy,
0:05:22 > 0:05:25but Jacky insists the season does have its perks.
0:05:26 > 0:05:29Winter time is the best time of the lot. It's the time to
0:05:29 > 0:05:34give the house a rest, for us to do our jobs, which is cleaning this fantastic place.
0:05:34 > 0:05:36We get to see things up close that people don't see.
0:05:36 > 0:05:41We're that close to a Turner or a Van Dyck
0:05:41 > 0:05:45when you're cleaning these things. It's amazing, who else gets to do it?
0:05:45 > 0:05:46THEY LAUGH
0:05:48 > 0:05:53The other five members of Petworth's conservation team now turn up
0:05:53 > 0:05:56to move the cleaning kit into the public part of the house,
0:05:56 > 0:05:58along with 30 crates of covers.
0:06:02 > 0:06:05The upholstery has just been vacuumed.
0:06:05 > 0:06:07The sheets keep it dust-free during the winter.
0:06:07 > 0:06:12Each is individually tailored for its specific object
0:06:12 > 0:06:14and carefully numbered accordingly.
0:06:14 > 0:06:18- That's it! That's done.- Settee number 54, in bed for the winter.
0:06:18 > 0:06:19That's right. It's got its pyjamas on.
0:06:22 > 0:06:27Dust not only looks bad, it also attracts mites and pests,
0:06:27 > 0:06:31and can permanently damage historical artefacts.
0:06:31 > 0:06:33Few visitors, gazing at these works of art,
0:06:33 > 0:06:36realise that they may be harming them.
0:06:36 > 0:06:43But nearly all Trust dust consists of their clothing fibres and dead skin.
0:06:43 > 0:06:47The dust that's accumulated over that open period is why we need to
0:06:47 > 0:06:50close in winter to get rid of it, or get rid of as much as we can.
0:06:50 > 0:06:54- I get the feeling dust is a major character...- It is.
0:06:54 > 0:07:00- ..in your work. - Dust is extremely important. Dust is coming from everywhere.
0:07:00 > 0:07:03Every time you flap your arms around or move your head or just twitch,
0:07:03 > 0:07:08there's skin and hair and things flying off you all the time. That's just us.
0:07:08 > 0:07:12When you add into walking outside and people coming into the house,
0:07:12 > 0:07:14there's sand and grit, leaves.
0:07:14 > 0:07:16- Do you have dreams about dust? - Definitely not!
0:07:16 > 0:07:21Only after a really rainy day and people have walked in
0:07:21 > 0:07:22and there's mud all over the floors.
0:07:22 > 0:07:25Apart from that, definitely not.
0:07:30 > 0:07:33Taking these precautions is just the warm-up
0:07:33 > 0:07:36before the real work of winter begins.
0:07:38 > 0:07:44The public tour of Petworth House takes in a dozen showpiece historical interiors.
0:07:46 > 0:07:50Over the coming months, the team will tackle each of these in turn.
0:07:50 > 0:07:53Their job isn't restoration, but conservation,
0:07:53 > 0:07:57cleaning every last inch of the house
0:07:57 > 0:08:00and preserving the collection for future visitors.
0:08:00 > 0:08:03But before they embark on their room-by-room tour of duty,
0:08:03 > 0:08:06a few other preparations need to be made.
0:08:06 > 0:08:12They'll begin with conservation work on some of the most fragile items in the collection.
0:08:17 > 0:08:21Petworth began accumulating ceramics in the 1690s,
0:08:21 > 0:08:27thanks to one of the great women to live here, Elizabeth Percy, Duchess of Somerset.
0:08:27 > 0:08:32She became swept up in Chinamania, a craze for collecting pottery,
0:08:32 > 0:08:34instigated by her friend, Queen Mary.
0:08:34 > 0:08:37So for 300 years now,
0:08:37 > 0:08:42Petworth has been home to these priceless objects made in China,
0:08:42 > 0:08:45or, in the case of this gilded dish, Japan.
0:08:47 > 0:08:51For most of the year, it's displayed in what's known as the Red Room.
0:08:51 > 0:08:54But during the winter, it heads to safer climes.
0:08:54 > 0:08:57These are too vulnerable to leave out where they are.
0:08:57 > 0:08:59The cleaning process, which you'll see in a minute,
0:08:59 > 0:09:02is quite intense and it requires you to be seated at a table,
0:09:02 > 0:09:04so it's much easier to move the ceramics to a dedicated space
0:09:04 > 0:09:07than moving all that equipment around throughout the house.
0:09:07 > 0:09:09When we lift up ceramics, we need to make sure
0:09:09 > 0:09:12we're supporting the weight and structure of the object.
0:09:12 > 0:09:15So it's basically placing your hands underneath and lifting from below
0:09:15 > 0:09:20- and supporting it as so.- This is something you think I should do?
0:09:20 > 0:09:23- Yes.- Just how much money will I be dropping, if I drop it?
0:09:23 > 0:09:26It has a huge historical value. It's very important to the collection.
0:09:26 > 0:09:29But I have every faith in your abilities, Andrew, you'll be fine.
0:09:29 > 0:09:31With ceramics, there are a few things to bear in mind.
0:09:31 > 0:09:36You always make sure your route's clear, which we've checked so that there's nothing in the way.
0:09:36 > 0:09:39We also don't talk to each other while we're carrying ceramics,
0:09:39 > 0:09:41so we're solely focused on the piece and where our feet are.
0:09:41 > 0:09:45Very, very hard for me. Motormouth! Here goes.
0:09:45 > 0:09:48- Right! Just like that?- Perfect.
0:09:48 > 0:09:51- Oh, it's heavy. - It is quite heavy.
0:09:51 > 0:09:54Gosh... Oh! Don't say anything. Right, OK.
0:10:04 > 0:10:08Though the National Trust won't reveal the value of anything they own,
0:10:08 > 0:10:12safe to say I won't be invited back if I drop this.
0:10:17 > 0:10:19Wonderful, see? Easy!
0:10:19 > 0:10:21OK!
0:10:22 > 0:10:26The rest of the conservation team have gingerly gathered
0:10:26 > 0:10:29the other delicate porcelain from across the house.
0:10:29 > 0:10:31The process of conservation begins with reading
0:10:31 > 0:10:36a crucial document called the condition report.
0:10:36 > 0:10:39Every object in the house has one of these,
0:10:39 > 0:10:43which basically lets us know everything about this object.
0:10:43 > 0:10:46Each year, we compare it year on year to see if there's been
0:10:46 > 0:10:49any deterioration or any damage and what treatment to give it.
0:10:49 > 0:10:52They're a bit like school reports, these.
0:10:52 > 0:10:56"Colours vivid," it says here. "Gilding generally intact."
0:10:56 > 0:11:00"Problem areas - large travelling crack."
0:11:00 > 0:11:04I like that, "travelling crack". I'd say that crack has travelled.
0:11:04 > 0:11:07And it doesn't say anywhere on here who broke it.
0:11:08 > 0:11:09"Dust with a pony hair brush."
0:11:09 > 0:11:12Because if we washed it with the dust on,
0:11:12 > 0:11:14it would act as an abrasive
0:11:14 > 0:11:16and could actually take off parts of the surface.
0:11:16 > 0:11:19- Right. - So you always remove dust first.
0:11:19 > 0:11:21We're going to clean the dish now,
0:11:21 > 0:11:23so we're going to use this pot first,
0:11:23 > 0:11:26which is our soapy water, which is a tiny drop
0:11:26 > 0:11:30of conservation-grade detergent, mixed with tepid water.
0:11:30 > 0:11:32What's conservation-grade detergent?
0:11:32 > 0:11:34How is that different from what I use at home?
0:11:34 > 0:11:37Basically, it's sensitive skin detergent
0:11:37 > 0:11:39from your high-street chemist.
0:11:39 > 0:11:42Ah, so porcelain has sensitive skin?
0:11:42 > 0:11:43It does.
0:11:43 > 0:11:47And it's just a matter of going over the surface,
0:11:47 > 0:11:52very delicately, just to remove any surface dirt that might be there.
0:11:54 > 0:11:56And you're not touching the gold if you can avoid it.
0:11:56 > 0:11:59No, you avoid the gold, I'm going to avoid
0:11:59 > 0:12:01the crack running through this cloud.
0:12:01 > 0:12:02So, I'll go over the other side.
0:12:02 > 0:12:05- You can see the dirt on there. - Oh, gosh, yeah.
0:12:06 > 0:12:09Now we've gone over those areas with detergent water,
0:12:09 > 0:12:11it's very important that we wash that off,
0:12:11 > 0:12:14so it's about going over the same area again
0:12:14 > 0:12:17but with this clean bud, which has just got the pure water on.
0:12:17 > 0:12:21We then have to dry it, and then it's just a matter of
0:12:21 > 0:12:26taking that surface water off so that the object is nice and dry.
0:12:32 > 0:12:36It's time to put into practice everything Sue's taught me.
0:12:36 > 0:12:40I'm still a bit nervous about how fragile these ceramics are,
0:12:40 > 0:12:44but there's evidence they've encountered clumsier hands than mine.
0:12:44 > 0:12:49I'd just like to point out that those cracks were there already.
0:12:49 > 0:12:50Nothing to do with me.
0:12:52 > 0:12:56This Meissen-style soup tureen was bought from a Chelsea warehouse
0:12:56 > 0:13:00in the 1750s - when it was broken is less certain.
0:13:00 > 0:13:02This is the way they used to repair ceramics, was to...
0:13:02 > 0:13:04Sort of like staples.
0:13:04 > 0:13:07They are, basically, they were just these metal,
0:13:07 > 0:13:11big staples, rivets, which hold the two pieces together and support the glue.
0:13:11 > 0:13:14Why is it not National Trust policy
0:13:14 > 0:13:18to undo the old repair and repair it again in a more invisible way?
0:13:18 > 0:13:22To do that is almost denying part of this object's story.
0:13:22 > 0:13:25The National Trust is also not into restoring things
0:13:25 > 0:13:28to look like new - we conserve them in their current condition,
0:13:28 > 0:13:31so it's a very different way of thinking.
0:13:31 > 0:13:34I mean, I personally like the fact that it carries its own...
0:13:34 > 0:13:36sort of like battle scars.
0:13:36 > 0:13:37Yes.
0:13:39 > 0:13:42That's it, you're just flicking away that dust.
0:13:42 > 0:13:46It's really amazingly beautiful piece of painting.
0:13:46 > 0:13:48I mean, these tulips are fantastic.
0:13:48 > 0:13:50Like a little English still life.
0:13:50 > 0:13:52It's not quite a painting or a sculpture,
0:13:52 > 0:13:53it's sort of a bit of both.
0:13:56 > 0:13:59Washing dishes the National Trust way
0:13:59 > 0:14:02takes a lot longer than it does at my house.
0:14:02 > 0:14:04- Gently, like that?- Perfect.
0:14:04 > 0:14:09I'd feared a process this painstaking would be tedious.
0:14:09 > 0:14:13In fact, it generates an almost Zen-like sense of focused attention.
0:14:13 > 0:14:16I think one of the interesting things for me
0:14:16 > 0:14:18about the cleaning process is that
0:14:18 > 0:14:20it's not just cleaning, it's a thinking process
0:14:20 > 0:14:22and a looking process,
0:14:22 > 0:14:24and this process sort of forces you...
0:14:24 > 0:14:28- It does.- ..to live with this object maybe for an hour of your life,
0:14:28 > 0:14:29and by the end of that process,
0:14:29 > 0:14:32you really do have a different sense of this thing.
0:14:32 > 0:14:35The winter gives us a chance to reconnect with an object,
0:14:35 > 0:14:37to actually sit back and think,
0:14:37 > 0:14:41"Wow, this is beautiful, and it's my job to look after it."
0:14:41 > 0:14:43That's a really wonderful feeling.
0:14:45 > 0:14:47Now the ceramics are so clean,
0:14:47 > 0:14:49we need to make sure they'll stay that way
0:14:49 > 0:14:53until they go back on public display in March.
0:14:53 > 0:14:58I like the fact we're doing this in front of all these...
0:14:58 > 0:15:02rather sexy Stuart court ghosts of the past.
0:15:02 > 0:15:05She has definitely got a twinkle in her eye.
0:15:05 > 0:15:07Don't worry, we won't break the porcelain.
0:15:07 > 0:15:11So, basically, we don't need to wrap it tightly.
0:15:11 > 0:15:15It's just about ensuring that there's going to be no dust getting in...
0:15:15 > 0:15:18- Ah, the demon dust. - ..over the winter.
0:15:18 > 0:15:22All the ceramics are stored for the winter in their own cupboard -
0:15:22 > 0:15:24on the second floor.
0:15:25 > 0:15:28This is probably the most risky bit of the whole procedure.
0:15:28 > 0:15:29It is.
0:15:31 > 0:15:34Having carried a single dish with such care earlier,
0:15:34 > 0:15:37I've now got to avoid smashing a whole tray full.
0:15:37 > 0:15:38Can we go a tiny bit slower?
0:15:38 > 0:15:39Uh-huh.
0:15:44 > 0:15:47We won't see those again until March next year.
0:15:47 > 0:15:49Good night, me old china!
0:15:49 > 0:15:50No, that's...
0:15:50 > 0:15:51SHE LAUGHS
0:15:51 > 0:15:53Sorry, that's terrible!
0:16:03 > 0:16:06It's not just the public being shut out of Petworth House
0:16:06 > 0:16:08for the coming four months.
0:16:11 > 0:16:12So is the light.
0:16:14 > 0:16:19The curtains being lowered today won't be opened again until March.
0:16:20 > 0:16:25So, Andy, why are you shutting out this beautiful, Turner-like sunset?
0:16:25 > 0:16:28Well, light is potentially one of the most harmful things
0:16:28 > 0:16:31to historical collections,
0:16:31 > 0:16:34so we have to mitigate against that in a number of ways.
0:16:34 > 0:16:37Obviously, when the house is open to the public,
0:16:37 > 0:16:40we want as much light as possible to fall on the objects,
0:16:40 > 0:16:42so people can see and enjoy them,
0:16:42 > 0:16:44but when the house doesn't have visitors,
0:16:44 > 0:16:46we keep it as dark as possible.
0:16:46 > 0:16:48So, what are the things in the house
0:16:48 > 0:16:51that would be damaged by light in particular?
0:16:51 > 0:16:55Anything, really, which is constructed out of organic matter,
0:16:55 > 0:16:58so fabrics, paintings with pigments in,
0:16:58 > 0:17:02wooden furniture, all of which is susceptible to damage by light.
0:17:02 > 0:17:04So, you're almost rationing the light?
0:17:04 > 0:17:06That's a very good way of putting it.
0:17:06 > 0:17:08- Only this much light every year. - Absolutely.
0:17:08 > 0:17:13Sort of watching this process as it begins on this first day -
0:17:13 > 0:17:15watching each of our chairs, each of our sofas,
0:17:15 > 0:17:18having their pyjamas put on, getting ready for bed -
0:17:18 > 0:17:22it's as if the whole house is going into hibernation for the winter.
0:17:22 > 0:17:24There is this historic term, "putting the house to bed".
0:17:24 > 0:17:27When the family went away, the housekeeping staff
0:17:27 > 0:17:29would also put the house to bed,
0:17:29 > 0:17:32and that's exactly how they would phrase it.
0:17:32 > 0:17:34That's interesting, I never knew that.
0:17:34 > 0:17:38It does feel that it's going to be rather a dark winter.
0:17:38 > 0:17:40It certainly is.
0:17:46 > 0:17:48The final task of the day takes place
0:17:48 > 0:17:53in Petworth's en-suite art gallery - every home should have one.
0:17:53 > 0:17:57The team need to take a painting off the wall so it can be photographed.
0:17:57 > 0:18:00It's by one of my favourite artists - Turner.
0:18:00 > 0:18:04In the 1820s, Britain's greatest painter often stayed in this house,
0:18:04 > 0:18:07which remains home to a staggering 20 of his works.
0:18:07 > 0:18:09What's the plan, Andy?
0:18:09 > 0:18:14The three ladies at the top are going to unhook the painting from its chains,
0:18:14 > 0:18:18the three at the bottom will take the weight as they pass it down.
0:18:18 > 0:18:22- How heavy is it?- Quite heavy. - Heavy?- Yeah.
0:18:22 > 0:18:24So, on my first day, I am...
0:18:24 > 0:18:25LAUGHTER
0:18:25 > 0:18:29This is a bit mad! ..I am squeezed up against the scaffolding,
0:18:29 > 0:18:31taking the weight of a Turner.
0:18:31 > 0:18:32Absolutely.
0:18:32 > 0:18:33What are we doing?
0:18:33 > 0:18:35We're walking it down the chain.
0:18:35 > 0:18:37It's coming down the chain, bit by bit.
0:18:37 > 0:18:39I'm not sure what would be worse.
0:18:39 > 0:18:44Would it be worse to drop a Turner or be bonked on the head by one?
0:18:44 > 0:18:47The picture I'm clinging onto is, needless to say,
0:18:47 > 0:18:49absolutely priceless.
0:18:49 > 0:18:51OK, slowly chaps. That's it!
0:18:51 > 0:18:53- Got it?- Yep, got it.
0:18:53 > 0:18:54- OK.- Slowly.
0:18:54 > 0:18:58- We don't want to catch the frame on the scaffolding.- No.
0:19:00 > 0:19:01That's it.
0:19:01 > 0:19:03There's lots of times in my life
0:19:03 > 0:19:06when I've wanted to take a Turner off the wall.
0:19:06 > 0:19:09I've never actually had the chance to do one.
0:19:09 > 0:19:11The only pity is I can't take it home with me.
0:19:11 > 0:19:15- Take the weight with the hook and just support it.- OK, yeah.
0:19:15 > 0:19:17- I'll say, "One, two, three, go." - One, two, three, go.
0:19:17 > 0:19:18One, two, three, up!
0:19:18 > 0:19:19Bloody hell!
0:19:19 > 0:19:21Are you OK with that?
0:19:21 > 0:19:22- Yeah.- Good.
0:19:22 > 0:19:24You say if you want to put it down at any time.
0:19:24 > 0:19:26- No, I'm fine.- OK.
0:19:27 > 0:19:29- Onto these blocks? - Onto the blocks, that's it.
0:19:31 > 0:19:34At ground level, the painting will be much easier to shoot
0:19:34 > 0:19:37when the Tate's photographer arrives tomorrow.
0:19:37 > 0:19:42I'm really glad Andy let me get up close and personal with this picture,
0:19:42 > 0:19:45because it's quite a radical, adventurous, experimental,
0:19:45 > 0:19:48sexy work of art, and it's a very unusual picture
0:19:48 > 0:19:52to have ended up in an aristocratic collection in the 19th century,
0:19:52 > 0:19:55because most English aristocrats were just collecting
0:19:55 > 0:19:58pictures of themselves, their wives, their horses.
0:19:58 > 0:20:02Most aristocrats were not interested in what I can only call
0:20:02 > 0:20:05the English avant garde, but the owners of Petworth were.
0:20:05 > 0:20:08And that's very important to remember that,
0:20:08 > 0:20:11because that's what makes this collection so unique.
0:20:20 > 0:20:22Petworth's aptly named Grand Staircase
0:20:22 > 0:20:26is the next destination on the conservation team's schedule.
0:20:28 > 0:20:32At its foot is another antique that needs to be moved for the winter -
0:20:32 > 0:20:35rather bigger than the others I've encountered.
0:20:35 > 0:20:38For reasons, which I'm hoping will soon be explained to me,
0:20:38 > 0:20:41what appears to be a bit of net curtain
0:20:41 > 0:20:45is thrown over this carpet before it's vacuumed.
0:20:45 > 0:20:48It's clearly no ordinary rug.
0:20:48 > 0:20:52This is a very rare hand-knotted English carpet,
0:20:52 > 0:20:54manufactured in Exeter in 1758.
0:20:54 > 0:20:58And there are only three English carpets of this period
0:20:58 > 0:21:00and this type of manufacture in existence -
0:21:00 > 0:21:02the other two are in the V&A.
0:21:02 > 0:21:04So, this is one of the rarest objects in the house.
0:21:04 > 0:21:06It's one of our great treasures.
0:21:07 > 0:21:10Visitors aren't allowed to walk on this carpet,
0:21:10 > 0:21:13and even for its annual clean I've got to take my shoes off,
0:21:13 > 0:21:17as well as take other protective measures.
0:21:18 > 0:21:22I feel like I'm about to go skateboarding!
0:21:22 > 0:21:24A skateboarding mime artist!
0:21:24 > 0:21:27No, no, I'm about to clean an 18th-century carpet.
0:21:27 > 0:21:28Believe me, they do help.
0:21:28 > 0:21:31It's where we get the saying "housemaid's knee",
0:21:31 > 0:21:34because they didn't have nice kneepads, they just knelt on them.
0:21:34 > 0:21:35They're good.
0:21:35 > 0:21:39So, tell me about this rather peculiar-looking process.
0:21:39 > 0:21:42We have the netting down, because it is a fragile carpet,
0:21:42 > 0:21:45if we catch a thread, we don't want to pull it up.
0:21:45 > 0:21:48So, it's here to stop me hoovering up the carpet?
0:21:48 > 0:21:49Basically, yes.
0:21:50 > 0:21:53The conservation vacuums used
0:21:53 > 0:21:55are much lower suction than a domestic model,
0:21:55 > 0:21:58which makes the task painfully protracted.
0:21:58 > 0:22:00I'm going more slowly than you.
0:22:00 > 0:22:04Well, I have been unfair and given you the larger piece of mesh, so...
0:22:04 > 0:22:06I did notice that.
0:22:07 > 0:22:08Thanks a lot!
0:22:21 > 0:22:23I fancy a hot bath tonight!
0:22:29 > 0:22:31To clear room for the next stage of the process,
0:22:31 > 0:22:36the extraordinary antiques which surround the carpet need to be moved.
0:22:38 > 0:22:42These 18 gilded walnut chairs were commissioned for Petworth
0:22:42 > 0:22:45in the early 17th century.
0:22:47 > 0:22:50So, what we need to do is pull one side of the carpet over,
0:22:50 > 0:22:53and then grab the other side and pull it back underneath,
0:22:53 > 0:22:55so the carpet's upside down.
0:22:55 > 0:22:58We're taking the trouble to turn the whole carpet over,
0:22:58 > 0:23:02so that when we roll it, we won't be working against its pile.
0:23:02 > 0:23:04So, that naturally wants to roll like that,
0:23:04 > 0:23:08whereas if we were doing it the other way, we'd be compressing the pile.
0:23:08 > 0:23:11- Yeah, I can see. - So, we start here, and roll that way.
0:23:12 > 0:23:16The tissue being put down for extra protection is acid-free.
0:23:16 > 0:23:20Some papers release chemicals over time,
0:23:20 > 0:23:22which would stain the antique fibres.
0:23:25 > 0:23:28In previous centuries, carpets were cleaned by scattering them
0:23:28 > 0:23:32with grass clippings, grated potatoes or even snow,
0:23:32 > 0:23:35before taking them outside for beating and drying.
0:23:39 > 0:23:43We're only taking this one as far as the Square Dining Room,
0:23:43 > 0:23:45where it can lie undisturbed for the winter.
0:23:48 > 0:23:49- Are we done?- Yep.
0:23:49 > 0:23:50Down, there we go.
0:23:50 > 0:23:52Perfect.
0:24:03 > 0:24:06One of the most precious things in all of Petworth
0:24:06 > 0:24:09isn't actually hanging on a wall or sitting on a plinth.
0:24:09 > 0:24:13It's a really early copy of Chaucer's The Canterbury Tales.
0:24:13 > 0:24:16The 2nd Earl of Northumberland, who owned Petworth
0:24:16 > 0:24:20in the late 14th century, when Chaucer was writing the poem,
0:24:20 > 0:24:22was actually married to the poet's great-niece.
0:24:22 > 0:24:27The copy they've got here pre-dates the invention of printing by 50 years.
0:24:27 > 0:24:32It's so rare that one of the National Trust specialists has come in to handle it.
0:24:32 > 0:24:34I'm not going to use gloves.
0:24:34 > 0:24:37Because of the silk velvet being so very fragile,
0:24:37 > 0:24:41it's very easy to pull off fibres and lose them.
0:24:41 > 0:24:44So, clean hands in this instance.
0:24:48 > 0:24:49Ooh, look at that.
0:24:49 > 0:24:52Ideally, no book should open more than...
0:24:54 > 0:24:58..certainly not as much as 180 degrees,
0:24:58 > 0:25:00and some books can only manage 90 or 45.
0:25:00 > 0:25:01Gosh!
0:25:01 > 0:25:03So, I'm going to open it in the middle.
0:25:03 > 0:25:05Where are we here?
0:25:05 > 0:25:07This is the beginning of The Knight's Tale.
0:25:07 > 0:25:10Oh, yeah - "Here beginneth the Knight's Tale."
0:25:10 > 0:25:14It strikes me that it's very, very beautiful.
0:25:14 > 0:25:16It's got minute little dots of white lead,
0:25:16 > 0:25:18and very, very fine shading there.
0:25:18 > 0:25:20So, can I turn over a page?
0:25:20 > 0:25:21Yes, if your hands are clean.
0:25:21 > 0:25:24My hands are clean. Honestly, Mum!
0:25:24 > 0:25:26Look, they are, I've washed them.
0:25:26 > 0:25:28Here we are, the very first page.
0:25:30 > 0:25:32Oh, isn't that a magical thing? Look.
0:25:32 > 0:25:35Those famous words -
0:25:35 > 0:25:38"Whan that Aprill, with his shoures soote.
0:25:38 > 0:25:41"The droghte of March hath perced to the roote."
0:25:43 > 0:25:47The 638 pages are made, not from paper,
0:25:47 > 0:25:50but genuine vellum - the skin of calves.
0:25:50 > 0:25:55Ylva must check there's been no deterioration during the last eight months,
0:25:55 > 0:25:58when the book's been on public display in a glass case.
0:25:59 > 0:26:04What are the sort of ills the flesh of a book is liable to suffer from?
0:26:04 > 0:26:07A book is a wonderful source of nutrition
0:26:07 > 0:26:10for all kinds of pests and insects and vermin.
0:26:10 > 0:26:14There are all kinds of dark places
0:26:14 > 0:26:16where one could hide and breed.
0:26:16 > 0:26:19- There are...- Stop! Stop!
0:26:19 > 0:26:22There may be termites watching!
0:26:23 > 0:26:25On one of the last pages Yvla checks,
0:26:25 > 0:26:28she does find cause for concern.
0:26:28 > 0:26:31So, what is it you're looking at here?
0:26:31 > 0:26:35Well, I've just spotted, in this capital here,
0:26:35 > 0:26:40there's a big flake of the gilding missing.
0:26:40 > 0:26:41If anything had become detached,
0:26:41 > 0:26:44- we would still have it. - I would have thought...
0:26:44 > 0:26:48- Oh, I see, you're looking in the guttering...- Yes.
0:26:48 > 0:26:51That's the only place it could have gone, really,
0:26:51 > 0:26:53and I don't see it.
0:26:53 > 0:26:54It's like prospecting for gold.
0:26:54 > 0:26:56It is, a bit, yes.
0:26:56 > 0:26:58And I'm very much hoping I'm not going to find any.
0:27:02 > 0:27:05Well, I'm quite pleased not to find any, actually.
0:27:05 > 0:27:07Because that means it's not a recent loss.
0:27:07 > 0:27:09- Yes.- Good.
0:27:09 > 0:27:11I'll make a note of that.
0:27:11 > 0:27:14The damage WILL need to be stabilised
0:27:14 > 0:27:18before the book is put back on display next year.
0:27:18 > 0:27:21But for now, the Petworth Chaucer will be stored
0:27:21 > 0:27:23in a custom-built box, the snugness of which
0:27:23 > 0:27:27keeps the vellum pages pressed into shape with just enough pressure.
0:27:31 > 0:27:32It's heavy!
0:27:32 > 0:27:36- They don't make them like that any more, do they?- They don't.
0:27:42 > 0:27:46To the outside world, Petworth may seem to have closed down,
0:27:46 > 0:27:50but I now realise it's going to be a busy and magical winter
0:27:50 > 0:27:52for those of us left inside.
0:27:52 > 0:27:54I've only been here for a couple of days,
0:27:54 > 0:28:00but I have to say, I have found the experience really, almost surprisingly, thrilling.
0:28:00 > 0:28:02I spend a lot of my life looking at works of art,
0:28:02 > 0:28:04reading about works of art,
0:28:04 > 0:28:07but it's only when you're in the position
0:28:07 > 0:28:10of actually having to touch them, to conserve them,
0:28:10 > 0:28:12even to just visually inspect them,
0:28:12 > 0:28:15that you're really reminded that a great work of art
0:28:15 > 0:28:19is an actual thing, with its own life force,
0:28:19 > 0:28:21its own physicality, its own needs.
0:28:21 > 0:28:26I have to say, I wasn't really sure that I wanted to take this job,
0:28:26 > 0:28:29but now I actually can't wait to get back.
0:28:53 > 0:28:56Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd