MORE than 300 years of dust and dirt will be removed from some of Blenheim Palace’s oldest tapestries over the next year.

The Brabant Tapestry, a series of nine individual hangings also known as the Victories Series, has been sent to Belgium, where they were created in the 18th century, to be restored and cleaned.

The job, which could take up to 12 months, will cost £30,000 and will include the restoration of all nine tapestries and specialist washing to remove dirt from their delicate threads.

Tapestry conservator Emma Telford travelled with the tapestries to a restorer in Belgium.

After they have been deep cleaned, they will return to Ms Telford’s studio where she will remove press studs, replace them with Velcro fastenings and re-align the tapestry threads, which may have moved due to the stress of them hanging on the wall.

Blenheim spokeswoman Melodie Mannes said: “The tapestries are under considerable stress simply hanging on the wall, supporting their own immense weight.”

While they are being restored, a short before-and-after video will be made showing how the painstaking project was carried out.

New methods of hanging them will also be used when they return to the Woodstock palace next year, so that they can be quickly removed in the event of an emergency, such as a fire or a burst water pipe.

Woodstock councillor and former mayor Brian Yoxall said: “I’m very pleased that something has been done to preserve these tapestries as they are of great historical significance.”

The tapestries, which hang in the state rooms at Blenheim and are on show to the public, were commissioned by John Churchill, the first Duke of Marlborough, between 1706 and 1710.

The series is considered to be an accurate depiction of pivotal battles during the War of Spanish Succession.

Churchill was gifted Blenheim Palace by Queen Anne after defeating Louis XIV of France in the war.

Battles depicted include The Battle of Elixheim in July, 1705, also known as the Passage of the Lines of Brabant.

During the battle, the Duke of Marlborough broke the French lines, which stretched across 70 miles.

The Duchy of Brabant was previously a state that was conquered by France – all its territories are now in modern Belgium.