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| The Tam O'Shanter Coach |
On 1 May 2007 Sheena Stoddard, the then Curator of Fine Art, suggested that the Tam O’Shanter Coach, which
did the Bristol to Exeter run, would be an excellent purchase for the
new Museum of Bristol (subsequently M Shed). However, she added that
the painting, attributed to W Rogers and painted in 1837, was in poor
condition requiring 100 hours conservation work to be restored. The
Friends of Bristol Art Gallery agreed to fund the purchase and part-fund
the conservation cost.
Helen Dowding, one of the conservators at the Museum, carried out the conservation. When she first received the painting, she found the surface covered in thick brown varnish and the paint was flaking off the canvas. Then ensued the long job of stabilising the paint, strenthening the canvas, removing the discoloured varnish, and re-integrating the paint losses. Later, the original frame was restored. The painting is on display in the Bristol Places Gallery of M Shed.
