Blue Jenny Conservation
Established in 1761, the Blue School’s purpose was to educate young girls of poor families and train them for domestic service. Around twenty girls (aged 8 to 12) were taught how to read, write, knit or accomplish other household activities. They would come from Newport or the Newport area and stay about 6 years or until they reached 14. There was also a strong emphasis placed on religious knowledge and practice, and church attendance was compulsory for students and their teacher. After completing their education girls had to enter service on the Island for their first year, so their newly acquired skills could benefit the Island. The school closed in 1907 due to financial difficulties.
The “Blue Jenny” statue represents a girl from the Blue School, dressed in the school uniform (a blue dress with white apron, cap and black boots). This uniform was given by the charity and girls were given a new one yearly. The girls also received a bible and prayer book when they entered the school, which can be seen in Jenny’s right hand. In her left hand she holds a penny, suggesting that she represents a day scholar, girls who did not live at the school but came in daily and who had to pay a penny.
In the 1970s, the carved and painted wooden figure of “Blue Jenny” was moved to Carisbrooke Castle Museum where it is currently in storage. The statue was deteriorating due to exposure to the weather and funds were raised to have a replica made to replace the original. This replica stands where the original was for over a century, in a niche above the porch of the school in Crocker Street, Newport.
Carisbrooke Castle Museum successfully applied for funding from the Association of Independent Museums to conserve “Blue Jenny”. After 2 months of work the statue is was put on display for the first time in over 15 years.
The statue is constructed from several carved wooden pieces attached to a wooden core. It is supported by a metal pole inserted into a wooden base and an iron hook in its back attached it to the Blue School building. The conservation process involved three stages – cleaning, consolidation and painting. The statue was first cleaned to remove any dust and dirt and the metal pole and hook were cleaned of rust and treated to avoid future rusting. Next, the wooden core and additional rotten areas were treated by injecting a consolidant to ensure their stability. Loose flakes of paint and the missing pieces of apron were reattached using a conservation adhesive and any large splits and gaps were filled to reinforce the structural integrity of the body. Finally, the surface was painted to tone in with the original colour scheme but not to totally overpaint the whole of the object. A barrier coat was applied first meaning that any overpainting can be removed in future without removing the surface beneath this layer.
