Abstracts are not currently available in GtR for all funded research. This is normally because the abstract was not required at the time of proposal submission, but may be because it included sensitive information such as personal details.

Abstracts are not currently available in GtR for all funded research. This is normally because the abstract was not required at the time of proposal submission, but may be because it included sensitive information such as personal details.

Abstracts are not currently available in GtR for all funded research. This is normally because the abstract was not required at the time of proposal submission, but may be because it included sensitive information such as personal details.

This project establishes a single-institution world-class "one-stop-shop" UK centre for mass spectrometry (MS) to serve the heritage and archaeology communities. The University of Bristol (UoB) has a long history of research involving the development and translation of pioneering applications of mass spectrometry (MS) techniques to heritage science. These approaches help determine the nature or origin of heritage objects and materials, establish calendrical dates and inform conservation strategies. The past three decades witnessed an explosion in the development and application of chemical and isotopic analyses, providing new ways of understanding the use of natural materials in the human past. At the University of Bristol, we have invested substantially in this research area with world-class expertise, dedicated laboratories and instrumentation routinely used across the Schools of Arts, Chemistry and Earth Sciences for analysis of organic materials, from parchments to mummies to coprolites. Radiocarbon analyses are performed upon all the major material classes using our ultra-compact high precision AMS at the Bristol Radiocarbon Mass Spectrometry Facility (BRAMS), with single-compound 14C analyses a particular specialisation. C3HS integrates four major areas of molecular and isotopic analysis capability under one organisational umbrella to serve the heritage communities, including radiocarbon dating (including single-compound), light stable isotope analysis (C, N, H) of single organic compounds, molecular characterisation and quantification of organic compounds including high-resolution and tandem mass spectrometry, and inorganic analyses including in-situ 87Sr/86Sr analysis using laser ablation, as well as more traditional thermal ionisation mass spectrometry. The investment to upgrade ageing instrumentation to state-of-the-art models will provide a world-class, fully-coherent offering and expand capacity to embrace additional demand, upscaling our offering to the wider heritage sector. This includes a gas chromatograph-high resolution accurate mass mass spectrometer (GC-HRAM MS) to facilitate routine identification and unambiguous structural characterisation of organic molecules, a preparative-GC-MS for the isolation, structural verification and purity determination of single compounds for radiocarbon dating, and laser ablation refurbishment to facilitate our new offering of in-situ 87Sr/86Sr analyses to the heritage sector. We will support users to design and conduct a holistic suite of complementary and analytically-cutting-edge analyses of heritage materials. The Centre will (i) provide a findable and accessible route for external heritage users to connect with these cutting-edge facilities, (ii) provide expert support in multi-analytical project design, and (iii) provide access to a suite of world-class facilities spanning a breadth of separation and characterisation techniques for organic heritage materials, including training, analytical and interpretative support. This model provides a considerably simplified access route for users, enabling integrated project design and realisation to optimise quantifiable research gains.

The English Heritage Trust (EHT) cares for the National Heritage Collection of 400 historic sites and 3/4 million associated artefacts. The Facility The heritage science and conservation facility at Ranger's House acts as a central hub for core research and conservation activities carried out by EHT. The facility itself comprises five rooms in the apartment adjacent to the publicly accessible house (home to the Wernher Collection), the fine art conservation studio, and an outbuilding used as a store. The facility has grown organically and has reached a point where the scale of work outstrips the capacity of the facility - both due to space and the quality of equipment within. The Beneficiaries - People and Collections The English Heritage Conservation Science team has been leading the way in research on the environmental response of objects in historic environments. This work has been critical in allowing for the safe display and storage of the collection in historic buildings. Its novelty lies in the combination of close object/ building examination and analysis, with an epidemiological approach. We have been able to develop this novel approach because we look after similar objects that are exposed to a range of very different environments. The practical methods we have devised as a result of our research have enabled us to reduce the carbon footprint of conservation activities by 40%. The sector's interest in this work is demonstrated by an impressive 70 publications in competitive forums, the oversubscription to a series of 8 international courses covering management of showcases and an invitation to the 2018 Gordon conference on Scientific Methods in Cultural Heritage Research. We have also supported six PhDs - looking at response of lined canvas paintings, archaeological bone, archaeological glass and outdoor artillery - through the CPD scheme, SEAHA doctoral training scheme, AHRC Collaborative Doctoral Program and the Science and Heritage Programme. This research would not be possible without the Ranger's facility and its equipment, but it has been severely restrained by lack of space and outdated equipment - with constant failures or issues with software compatibility. The conservation studio at Ranger's House, often guided by scientific advice from the conservation science team, carries out practical treatments and technical analysis of the English Heritage collection of over 1500 easel paintings, many of international significance, and their associated frames. Technical examination advances our understanding of an artist's materials and methodology. Over the last five years our work has resulted in the reattribution of several paintings, notably to Botticelli and Titian, and much associated publicity for English Heritage has followed. Art historical findings relating to paintings by Rembrandt, Titian, Weenix and Beuckelaer have been presented at several national and international conferences and published in postprints and journals. To allow this treatment and research to continue, we need to update equipment in line with technological advances and remedy issues with the studio space, previously adapted from an old coach house The Project The amount of research needed, both within the EHT strategy and to support the sector, is not possible within the confines of the existing facility, nor with equipment more than 10 years old and suffering constant failures (and not supported by the manufacturers due to its age). We will redevelop the interiors of the facility and upgrade the store into a workshop in order to house equipment, and provide space for sample preparation and wood working for fine art conservation. We will also replace the most outdated pieces of equipment, to significantly improve the efficiency for research undertaken in the facility.