2,000-year-old mosaics at Fishbourne Roman Palace are given a clean before the heritage site reopens - When does it reopen? Are there any activities for half term?

A team of conservators have been delicately cleaning the 2,000-year-old decorative floors at the palace, home to the largest collection of in-situ Roman mosaics in the country, ahead of the site’s reopening to the public on Saturday, February 11.

It is a painstaking and lengthy process, with each of the 29 mosaics taking up to ten hours to clean as a small fine brush is used to sweep the dust away. The heritage site will be collecting and storing the dust – which can be harmful to the mosaics – in its archives for future analysis and research .

Dr Rob Symmons, curator at Fishbourne Roman Palace, which is owned and cared for by a registered charity Sussex Past, said: “We’re proud to be the guardians of probably the finest collection of in-situ mosaics in the country. It’s what we're famous for and it’s what many of our visitors come to see, so keeping them clean is vital.

“Just the smallest amount of dust will attract creatures who feed off that and they will attract slightly bigger creatures and so on, which could cause untold damage to these incredibly important pieces.”

Cleaning of the mosaics used to take place once the site was closed to visitors. But, for the first time, the team, led by Ben Cooper, is carrying out the work during the day, which means that school and group visitors are able to see the cleaning taking place first-hand.

Work ahead of reopening is focused on the famous Cupid riding on a dolphin mosaic, which dates back to 2nd century.

Dr Symmons said: “Methods for cleaning mosaics have evolved over the years and now we are trying a very sensitive approach, where we're using small fine brushes and just sweeping that gently across the surface.

“We go to great lengths not to actually stand or put any pressure on the floors because they can be very fragile.

“It’s a very methodical process. We start at one end of the north wing and work all the way up to the other end, and then just go back to the beginning and start again. So, every floor will be cleaned about twice every year.”

Meanwhile Fishbourne Roman Palace reopens to visitors from February 11 and will be open seven days a week until the end of November.

During February Half Term, it will host At Home With The Romans, featuring a range of free family-friendly activities including jewellery making, hair styling and falconry.

Admission for adults is £13 with students and children (aged 5 to 17) costing £5.50. Family tickets start from £22.

Members of Sussex Past, which is also known as The Sussex Archaeological Society, can visit Fishbourne Roman Palace and the other Sussex Past heritage sites and museums, including Lewes Castle & Museum and Michelham Priory House & Gardens, free of charge. Membership starts at £47 for an individual, £70 for joint membership and £52 for a family.

As the Society is a registered charity, it is possible to Gift Aid tickets. For more information, details on opening times or to book tickets, visit sussexpast.co.uk