Lynne Edge is an award winning conservator-restorer with almost 30 years experience conserving and restoring diverse collections of pottery, porcelain and related materials in the public and private sectors in the UK and overseas. After working in the public sector for almost 16 years, it was time for a change and Lynne stepped over into the private sector and founded EDGE Conservation-Restoration Services in 2008.
After gaining a diploma in Art and Design in Liverpool, Lynne undertook her Bachelor of Arts (hons) degree in Ceramics at West Surrey College of Art and Design, Farnham. She went on to train at the world-renowned West Dean College, Chichester, gaining her conservation-restoration qualification with distinction from the British Antique Dealers Association. In 1992 Lynne returned to her hometown of Liverpool to set up and head the Ceramics and Glass Conservation Section of the National Museums Liverpool. She is a former Chair of the Ceramic and Glass Conservation Group, and Council Member of the United Kingdom Institute for the Conservation of Historic and Artistic Works (UKIC). In 2002 Lynne gained her Accredited Conservator –Restorer status and is presently a PACR Accreditation Assessor for the Institute of Conservation (ICON).
Over the years, Lynne has handled and worked on thousands of objects from a broad range of cultures and time periods. To date, one of the highlights of her career was to handle and examine some of the famous Chinese terracotta warriors. She was engaged as the specialist freelance ceramic conservator by the National Museums Liverpool to condition check c80 ceramic objects at on-site stores in Xi’an, China, in preparation for transport to Liverpool for display. This included 8 Terracotta Warriors, a kneeling figure, a horseman and full-size terracotta horse. All items were re-condition checked on their arrival and then installed at World Museum Liverpool to form the China’s First Emperor and Terracotta Warriors Exhibition (9 February – 28 October 2018). Lynne returned to China in November 2018 to re-condition check all the ceramic and stone items on their return from World Museum Liverpool. This was the museum’s most successful exhibition ever.
On 23 May 2010 Lynne Edge was awarded the Nigel Williams Prize for the Conservation of the glass Opus Sectile War Memorial of St. James Church, West Derby, Liverpool. This prize is awarded by the Ceramic and Glass Group of the Institute of Conservation to celebrate achievement of excellence in the field of Ceramics and Glass Conservation. This has been awarded biennially since its inception in 2002, and the prize includes a ceramic trophy that is a gilded ceramic version of the Portland Vase, which is on display in the Wedgwood Museum, Stoke-on Trent.
The Memorial
Out of just over 58,000 entries on the United Kingdom National Inventory of War Memorials there are only eleven glass Opus Sectile memorials listed; one of these belongs to St.James’ Church, Mill Lane, West Derby, Liverpool. The impressive memorial is comprised of 3000 pieces of glass that form the 2.2 x 1.4m Opus Sectile panel, which is surrounded by a sandstone frame. This stunning glass war memorial features the doomed liner Lusitania. It is a unique tribute to the dead of two world wars of the West Derby community and shows the Cunard vessel steaming at full speed with smoke billowing from her four funnels
Over time, water ingress had caused extensive deterioration and damage to the memorial. The glass panel in particular was badly affected. The complex challenges of this project were not only associated with how to record, dismantle, and conserve almost 3000 pieces of glass, but how to remount them in such a way that the Opus Sectile panel could, if necessary, be easily removed and re-sited in the future.
Opus Sectile Glass War Memorial, St. James’ Church, LiverpoolDo you have an item or collection in need of care, repair or display? Call 0151 924 0447 or