Philippa East began collecting vintage and antique books when she was still at primary school. Following a couple of years of sound bookbinding training with a highly respected design binder in London, she was fortunate enough to be offered a voluntary work placement in the Book and Paper Conservation Studio in the Victoria and Albert Museum in London. During her six years of attendance, she gained practical experience in a broad range of interventive conservation techniques, as well as a fundamental understanding of the principles and ethics of conservation. In April 2020, Philippa graduated with an MA in Preventive Conservation from the University of Northumbria. The main area of research was conservation housekeeping in the historic house museum, which involved a two-year voluntary work placement with the National Trust. Conservation housekeeping through the prism of preventive conservation continues to be an active area of research.