Project partners
The 1843 iron-hulled ss Great Britain, designed by Isambard Kingdom Brunel, was an innovation in ship design. Since 1970 the ship has been preserved in its original dry dock in Bristol, where an innovative conservation solution has helped to turn this iconic ship not only into an award-winning museum but also into a focus for research into the conservation of iron.
Historic Metalwork Conservation Consultancy Ltd
HMCC Ltd was set up to provide specialist conservation services to all those who have responsibility for the preservation of historic metals, but principally ironwork.
English Heritage is the government’s statutory advisor on the historic environment, and is responsible for the care and protection of over 400 archaeological and historic sites in England.
Eura Conservation are conservators, contractors and consultants for historic and culturally valuable metal artefacts, including work on the ss Great Britain and the Canada Gate at Buckingham Palace.
The Mary Rose was a favourite ship of King Henry VIII, and was salvaged in 1982. Its conservation and the preservation of the many artefacts contained within is one of the largest and most ambitious conservation projects in maritime archaeology.
Supporting Institutions
The Museum of London is renowned both for its archaeological work and for the London Archaeological Archive Resource Centre (LAARC), which is the leading repository of archaeological material in Greater London. We are grateful to them for the donation of archaeological iron nails for this research.
Caerleon Archaeological Excavations, Cardiff University
The excavations at the Roman Fort of Isca (Caerleon) have provided a wealth of material evidence for Roman life in South Wales. We are grateful to Dr Peter Guest for permission to use sample material from Caerleon for this research project.