Phil,
Other work commitments prevented a stopover and a slight shortage of wives prevented That other suggestion. I did take a friend to help out with the driving, but he slept all the way there.
Whilst I was working, he helped himself to some of the cheap beer we had bought in Belgium on the way there - so slept all the way home
The thirteen hour clean was due to over 300 years build-up of soot and soil, combined with unstable dyes and the extreme delicacy of the tapestry fabric. To add to the fun the padding was horsehair under wool blanket.
Jobs of this nature cannot be rushed.
John.