Conservation
Our Conservation team has a reputation for providing you with a high-quality, cost-effective and integrated service. We focus on retrieving, preserving, revealing and recording archaeological objects and materials.
Our team is an industry leader in conserving maritime and waterlogged materials, and we have extensive experience with organic materials. On excavation sites we provide assessments, remedial treatment and also work with the field team to help lift and transport fragile artefacts.
In our conservation labs, we X-ray and assess artefacts, creating treatment plans. These can include conservation requirements, stability concerns, as well as potential for further research. We also operate a large objects facility, equipped with four large freeze dryers. This allows us to work on large waterlogged timber including artefacts from marine environments.
We have undertaken extensive conservation work for wide range of clients that have involved all kinds of archaeological materials. For example, we have worked with government agencies such as Historic England and also local museums, including the Yorkshire Museum.
Whether we provide routine conservation or an innovative solution to a unique problem, we work with you to retrieve, reveal, and preserve archaeological objects and materials.
Conservation Case Study
Timbers from an early third century Roman building excavated in 1984-5 at Tanner Row in York were identified and conserved. A board cut from Silver Fir, a non-native species, had been imported from continental Europe as part of a finished object. The adjacent image illustrates how we could reconstruct it.
The board has edge pegs to fasten it to a neighbour, moulded decoration and housings showing it was part of a panelled feature. It also has woodworm damage showing it has spent some time in use before being broken up. This one object tells us about trade links with Europe, about sophisticated woodworking technology and about recycling of materials in the Roman empire.
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