Established 1977 — Preserving Textiles for Over 45 Years
The Janie Lightfoot Textiles conservation studios are based in northwest London. Established in 1977, the company has a long history working with museums, historic houses, places of worship, art galleries, auction houses, private collectors and members of the public.
Currently, we are a team of 8 and run out of two fully equipped studios. Whilst our speciality is textile conservation, our team of conservators have a broad skill base. Some members of our team are trained in Object Conservation enabling us to take on a wide spectrum of projects, ranging from large three dimensional objects to fine and intricate textiles and textile related objects, with substrates including feathers, leather, fur, paper, ceramics, metals, glass, latex and foam.
The studio is run within the guidelines of the ‘The Institute of Conservation’ – ICON.
The Studio also houses The Lightfoot Textile Archive, an extensive textile archive. From here we run a social responsibility programme. This enables us to work with students and interns encouraging the development of conservation skills for the future.
Janie is the founder of Janie Lightfoot Textiles. She is an accredited conservator and has worked extensively in the public and private sector, both nationally and internationally, including recent projects in the Middle East, South Africa, Kuwait, Albania and India.
Janie also acts as a consultant for several major institutions; she is an associate lecturer at University of the Arts London and a frequent speaker at conservation and textile conferences; a mentor for the Institute of Conservation’s (ICON) Professional Accreditation Scheme, assessing applicants across all disciplines; and a CPD (Continued Professional Development) reader.
With the addition of The Lightfoot Textile Archive, an extensive in house textile archive, we run a social responsibility programme. This enables us to work with students and interns encouraging the development of conservation skills for the future.
Studio Conservation Manager
Lizzie is our Studio Conservation Manager, having worked her way up through the company. She started as a conservator with JLT in 2016, becoming a Senior Conservator in 2021 and then Studio Conservation Manager in 2022.
With a BSc (Hons) in Applied Biology from Nottingham Trent University, Lizzie retrained gaining a Graduate Diploma in Conservation Studies and an MA in The Conservation of Historic Objects from Lincoln University between 2013 and 2015.
After finishing her MA, Lizzie gained employment as a conservator working on tapestries, including the Chatsworth Acts of the Apostles, and costume from The Fashion Museum, Bath, before being employed by JLT.
Conservator
Alice joined the JLT team in 2013.
Alice studied Textile Conservation in Amsterdam, gaining a BA equivalent from the Institute for Conservation of National Heritage. She moved to the UK in 2010 to work at the Bowes Museum, where she was employed for 3 years before joining JLT.
Conservator
Carole joined our team in 2014.
Carole has a BA (Hons) 1st Class in Fine Art specialising in film and photography. Carole has worked in the textile industry for over 30 years, gaining experience working on a wide range of textiles while employed at Longevity Textile Conservation. Her skills and fine stitching have proved invaluable. Carole is particularly experienced in the conservation of thangkas.
Conservator
Jenny started with JLT in 2021 as a Conservator.
Jenny holds a BA in Archaeology and Medieval History from Cardiff University, a Graduate Diploma in Conservation Studies and an MA in Conservation of Cultural Heritage from Lincoln University.
Jenny worked as a volunteer at The National Museum of Wales doing photography for the Portable Antiquities Scheme and at National Trust Ham House as a Conservation Assistant.
Prior to joining the JLT team, Jenny worked as a freelancer for Calibre Conservation.
Conservator
Yana started with JLT in 2022 as a Conservator.
Yana has a BA in Applied Arts from Mykhailo Boichuk Kyiv State Institute of Decorative Arts & Design and an MA in Restoration of Sculpture and Decorative arts from the National Academy of Fine Arts & Architecture in Ukraine.
Yana has also studied the Restoration of Museum Objects made from Bone, Horn and Leather and The Fundamentals of Textile Restoration at the National Research and Conservation Centre of Ukraine.
Yana specialises in mixed media and has worked on many mixed media objects within the studio.
Conservator
Gill started with JLT in 2022.
Gill holds a BA in Costume Design and Construction from Queen Margaret University and an MA in Fashion Curation from University of Arts, London.
Before joining JLT, Gill worked for the Victoria and Albert Museum as a Textile Conservation Display Specialist.
Gill is an experienced costume and mount maker having worked in the theatre industry for 10 years.
Office Manager
Sarah has been our Office Manager since 2021.
She has a passion for art and antiques and after a 20 year career at Marks & Spencer, decided to focus her energies on an industry which is much closer to her heart.
Expert textile conservation and restoration services with a passion for preserving history.