Our conservators deal with delicate or vulnerable objects both on site and in our specialist lab based in London. We work on a variety of projects from to micro-excavation and recording of lifted remains. We can quickly respond to urgent or unexpected discoveries.
Once finds are removed from site, our team will clean them and assess their condition. We will then take the necessary steps to stabilise and preserve them ready for analysis, before long-term storage or display.
Our team are particularly experienced in:
- emergency lifting of complex burial groups from archaeological sites
- conserving mineral-preserved organics and wet organic material
- the reconstruction of pottery, glass and finds for illustration and display
Our specialist lab includes freeze-drying facilities for the conservation of leather and small wooden artefacts. We can also undertake work on larger items such as coffins, cauldrons and large ceramic vessels, mosaics and wall plaster from archaeological contexts. We offer high-quality digital X-ray of archaeological objects, with capacity to assess larger items such as soil blocks. We can also arrange CT scanning and X-ray of outsized artefacts with partner organisations if required.
We can give advice and support for scientific analysis, storage and display of archaeological artefacts. This includes:
-
best conditions for display
-
how to prepare objects and mark them
-
advice on making mounts
-
producing condition report documentation
-
packing artefacts for transport and installation
-
giving advice and doing assessments for archaeological archives and historic collections
-
advise on options for scientific analysis and sampling, working in partnership with universities and heritage institutions.
