Organisation: Historic England
Principal investigator: Gill Campbell
Investment Overview
Fort Cumberland in Portsmouth is an 18th century, pentagonal-shaped bastion fort and a scheduled monument in England. The collections at Fort Cumberland Laboratories provide an unparalleled range of research resources, ranging from research collections of human remains, to material science samples from archaeological artefacts to comparative reference collections comprising modern specimens of vertebrates, invertebrates and plants. The collections are co-located with a wide array of analytical and imaging equipment enabling collaborative interdisciplinary research, training and public engagement.
RICHeS investment has enabled increased understanding and curation of the collections held, with improved storage including environmental monitoring and Integrated Pest Management (IPM) in place to support long-term preservation. The RICHeS funded Collection Access Manager facilitates advancing knowledge through access visits enabling increased collaborative research, as well as supporting school outreach events, using collections to engage young people and showcase the range of careers available in heritage.
This investment is partnered with SHEFF BIOARCH and the Ark of the North in Scotland, forming a network of collection hubs. This collaboration ensures that heritage science equipment, expertise and resources are accessible throughout the UK.
Explore More
Visit the HSDS Catalogue of Services for information on services available to access.
You can keep up to date with this investment on the Historic England website and LinkedIn.
