Plowden & Smith specialise in the cleaning and conservation of wax miniatures, polychrome sculpture, lacquer, painted banners and flags, and decorated organ pipes and casework.

This Tang terracotta horse was broken into approximately 20 pieces and a number of small fragments. The break edges were first cleaned and then consolidated. Shards were bonded using an acrylic resin and dowels were used in areas where extra strength was required to help the object hold its own weight. Areas around the joins were filled with a pigmented fine surface filler and carefully stabilised. Finally, the new fills were retouched using various pigments and acrylics to blend with the original patination. All materials and techniques used were chosen for their ethical compatibility and are fully reversible.

The organ pipes at Rochester Cathedral are housed in a double fronted case designed by Samuel Hill in 1790, and redecorated by Sir George Gilbert Scott in 1871 -1877. The design relies on large areas of bare zinc contrasting with the intricate stencilled design, forming a repeated chevron pattern throughout. The surfaces had been badly affected by the heating system used in the building - dirt and corrosion was worst where the pipes had been directly exposed to the effects of the oil burning stoves. Initially, tests were carried out to find practical solutions to the problems of consolidation, cleaning, treatment of the metalwork, and overall protection. A specific problem was the removal of a shellac varnish from the delicate gilded, stencilled layers below. The shellac varnish over the zinc pipes seemed to be associated with the corrosion on the zinc pipes, and the oil fired central heating was also a contributing factor in the deterioration. After extensive tests it was found that a certain combination of solvents mixed with soap made into a gel successfully removed the dirt and discoloured shellac. In order to protect the oil painted surfaces, it was decided to apply an isolating layer of acrylic varnish over the painted stencilled decoration, leaving the gilded surface exposed for an application of cleaning gel. This way the brilliance of the gilding was revealed. The zinc areas of the pipes were manually cleaned with the gel using a fine wire wool and then 'rinsed' using Industrial Methylated Spirits. This revealed the blue/grey zinc which complemented the gold as intended in the original scheme, which had not been appreciated for some time.

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