Volunteers protect thousands of historic books

There are 6,500 books, some centuries old, in the library

A project to protect 6,500 of historic books has been completed after more than 10 years of work by volunteers.

The team of four have been adding conservation-grade coverings on the books, some 500 years old, in the library at Stourhead near Warminster in Wiltshire.

The National Trust project involves adding silk taffeta on the lower shelves and a protective cover along the top of the books to prevent damage from dust and light.

Lucy Cooper, House and Collections Officer, said volunteers "painstakingly" measured, cut and fitted the book coverings.

The books on lower shelves have been carefully measured and covered with silk

The library at the early 1700s Palladian house was created by its third owner, Sir Richard Colt Hoare.

However, Lady Alda Hoare - the last lady of the house - loved reading and collected books, filling them with notes, and was also responsible for the current book arrangement.

"We've got everything from a 1450 illuminated manuscript, which is extremely rare, all the way through the modern literature" said Ms Cooper.

Among the collection is a first edition set of Thomas Hardy novels too.

Stourhead is famous for its gardens and parkland

"Stourhead Library is one of the most showstopping rooms in the house, so it's really important to keep this room looking great," said Ms Cooper.

"We are lucky at Stourhead to be the only National Trust property to have a dedicated team of book volunteers that can perform remedial repair works to the collection.

"It is this same team that have painstakingly measured, cut and fitted the book coverings over the last 10 years," she added.

She explained that people sometimes want to hold the fragile books, but are generally "very respectful".

"The more you touch, the more likely these items could get damaged," Ms Cooper added, saying sometimes staff do take out certain books for visitors to have a closer look at.

The books also got a cleaning with a specialist vacuum which comes with fine tools to get into "cracks and crevices".

Brushes made of natural materials like hog and pony hair are used to..

Some of what the library contains can be seen on the National Trust collections website.

Stourhead is not just known for the house, but also its gardens and parkland, which include a lake, temples and grottoes.