About us

Our customers gave us the name PEL, it's an abbreviation we use with pride, for us it represents the most valuable connection any business can have.

A bit of history
Preservation Equipment Ltd was founded in 1986 by Cliff Gothorp to provide access to quality materials and equipment for professionals working in the field of conservation and preservation of archives and works of art and ancient artefacts. Cliff visited every Record Office and Museum in the UK, and attended every trade show possible to speak to conservation professionals about the products they need and use. We've carried that policy on, and although the way we communicate has evolved over time, we're still talking to customers every day, sourcing and designing new products to solve conservation problems.

Today
PEL is now lead by Managing Director Sam Gothorp, working closely with Cliff. Sam has been in the business for 15 years, but as a family business, has been a part of the company since he was very young. From humble beginnings, the company has grown to have a trusted reputation that is recognised by major institutions worldwide. International expansion has driven PEL’s first foreign language site, preservationequipment.de, offering all product descriptions in German.

Innovation and Products
At PEL we have launched innovative products such as; Crossweld polyester sealing machine, Museum Vac, Preservation Pencil and Conservation Work Station, all widely used and highly regarded in conservation. We have also launched the first fully online archival bespoke box service, boxsite.co.uk to make custom box ordering easier than ever.
Exclusive partnerships with companies such as; University Products, Print File, Lineco and Akachemie, have enabled us to provide customers the highest quality products at highly competitive prices. Our unique connections with the conservation community ensures products can be independently tested for suitability before being added to our product portfolio.
The PEL brand Arcare offers access to high quality range of archival quality products suitable for professional and hobby use. Further information can be found at Arcare.com.

Where we are
Our head office, warehouse and manufacturing operations are based in Diss, Norfolk, UK. In 2018 we opened an additional 9000ft manufacturing unit, a short walk from our head office, to extend our manufacturing capabilities and further improve despatch times.

Corporate Memberships & Recognition
Preservation Equipment are members of the following: Corporate Members at The Museums Association
Members of Norfolk Chamber of Commerce
Holders of The Royal Warrant

Websites
Preservationequipment.com
Preservationequipment.de
Boxsite.co.uk
Arcare.com

Sustainability
Read our sustainability policy here