Winchester School of Art has been given a cash boost of nearly £1m to help fund textile research and conservation.

The Arts and Humanities Research Board has made the award of £937,000 over five years to enable the establishment of the Research Centre in Textile Conservation and Textile Studies.

It will be based at the Textile Conservation Centre at the School of Art, which is part of the University of Southampton.

Also partners in the project are the University of Bradford and the University of Manchester.

The centre's aim is to improve the care and interpretation of historic textiles by enhancing knowledge and understanding of conservation processes.

Its director will be Dinah Eastop, a senior lecturer at the Textile Conservation Centre. She will be assisted by three associate directors, Dr Maria Hayward, Professor Mark Pollard and Professor Julian Thomas.

"Research into the conservation of artefacts is a multidisciplinary field encompassing many areas of the arts and humanities as well as the physical and social sciences," said Dinah Eastop.

"Research at the new centre will be undertaken by scholars from various disciplines, including textile history, conservation science and social history as well as textile conservators and those involved with the care and interpretation of historic interiors."

Members of the centre will also collaborate with colleagues in museums and historic houses in the UK and overseas.

The centre's four inter-linked research themes are:

* Textile Materials focusing on the material properties of textiles, what they are made of and how they deteriorate and understanding how materials change over time helps conservators to implement effective conservation strategies;

* Textiles and Text, which focuses on the investigation of links between surviving textiles and written records and includes research into liturgical textiles of the Reformation and dress at Henry VIII's court;

* Modern Materials, which focuses on objects made of synthetic fibres and also those that have non-textile components, such as plastic buttons and latex foam--in upholstery;

* Wordly Goods which focuses on textiles in country houses and considers how such textiles should be presented to the public.

Projects will include research into tapestry conservation techniques and research into "concealed garments" --the practice of deliberately concealing old garments in historic houses as they were built or converted in order to protect the household in some way.

The research will be undertaken mainly by two groups of researchers: post-doctoral scholars from various disciplines and research conservators.

The outcome of this research will be wide-ranging and will include books, papers in journals, three major conferences and exhibitions.

"We feel extremely privileged to have been granted AHRB Research Centre status," said Dinah.

"The award will enable us to develop textile conservation research and related studies for the benefit of the whole sector and the wider public.

"We are committed to making the results of our research as widely relevant and accessible as possible."

The university's vice-chancellor, Professor Bill Wakeham, said that the successful bid to the Arts and Humanities Research Board was a massive vote of confidence in the importance of the work of the Textile Conservation Centre and also in the research environment provided by the University.

"The centre has been part of the university for a relatively short time," he said.

"But it joined us with a worldwide reputation which is fully endorsed by this successful bid to the Arts and Humanities Research Board.

"We are delighted with this major success."