Caryatid Heritage & Culture is an independent consultancy supporting historic houses, estates and cultural organisations in the care, protection and interpretation of collections and historic interiors.

Founded by heritage specialist Kate Ballenger, Caryatid works closely with estate teams to develop practical, thoughtful approaches to collections care, disaster preparedness, exhibitions and filming activity within historic environments.

Historic houses are complex places: private homes, working estates, visitor destinations and sites of cultural significance. Caring for collections within these settings requires solutions that are both sensitive and practical. Caryatid’s approach recognises the operational realities of historic properties while helping to protect the character, integrity and long-term future of collections and interiors.

Kate’s work focuses particularly on disaster and salvage planning for historic houses, helping estates prepare confidently for emergencies affecting collections, interiors and historic buildings. This includes developing clear, usable plans, establishing salvage priorities and supporting teams in building preparedness and response procedures suited to their property.

Caryatid also advises on collections care, exhibitions and filming activity within historic interiors, supporting projects that allow heritage sites to remain active, accessible and engaging while carefully managing risk.

Each project is approached collaboratively and tailored to the specific needs of the property, its collections and the people responsible for their care.

Caryatid works with historic houses, estates and cultural organisations across the UK.

If you would like to discuss a project or enquiry, please get in touch.