On Wednesday 2 July, RICHeS held its second regional workshop, hosted by The National Archives in Kew. Building on the success of the first workshop in Liverpool, these events provide not only thought-provoking presentations but also valuable opportunities for collaboration between members of the RICHeS distributed infrastructure and the broader heritage science community.
While the first workshop focused on digital innovation, this session centred on the theme enhancing narratives, highlighting how innovative heritage science can unlock our understanding of the past and transform the narratives we tell.
How heritage science enhances narratives
The workshop opened with a warm welcome from Juergen Vervoorst, Head of Collections Care at The National Archives, before an overview of the Research Infrastructure for Conservation and Heritage Science (RICHeS) programme. This set the stage for an introduction to the Heritage Science Data Service (HSDS) which will provide core digital research services for RICHeS. The HSDS team is currently preparing to launch prototype catalogues later this autumn.
A series of presentations from RICHeS-funded projects across the Southeast then offered compelling insights into how their collections, facilities and research expertise, soon to be made accessible via the HSDS, are contributing to enhanced historical narratives:
- Dr Marc Vermeulen, Head of Heritage Science at the National Archives highlighted how material science, connoisseurship and textual content combine to provide an enhanced historical narrative
- Dr Constantina Vlachou, Heritage Science Manager at Historic Royal Palaces revealed their wealth of analysis on tapestries, including recent work on St Mary’s Guildhall Tapestry in Coventry
- Kieron Webb, Head of Conservation at the British Film Institute demonstrated how transformative the new Moving Image Conservation Research Laboratory will be for the sector
- Gill Campbell, Head of Fort Cumberland Laboratories at Historic England shared case studies where heritage science research had unlocked stories to reshape their understanding of the past.
The National Archives team kindly facilitated a live Zoom stream of the presentations, broadening accessibility. Online and in-person audiences engaged with presenters through Q&A sessions, which sparked further discussions over refreshments.
Introducing the RICHeS Fair
With fifteen funded projects in attendance, the RICHeS team introduced the first RICHeS Fair. Each project hosted a dedicated stall showcasing their unique contributions to the distributed infrastructure from paint samples to underwater scanning technologies, creating a vibrant space for hands-on engagement and networking.
During the Fair attendees had a first look at plans for the new Centre for Heritage Science and Conservation Research, a RICHeS funded project at The National Archives. It was encouraging to see the progress made since the RICHeS team earlier visit.
Alongside the RICHeS-funded projects, RICHeS were pleased to welcome the Human Economics team who introduced the RICHeS Evaluation Platform, an innovative tool now available for feedback and collaboration. We encourage all community members to sign up and contribute to shaping the future of RICHeS.
Looking ahead
Feedback from the workshop was overwhelmingly positive, particularly regarding the opportunities it provided for cross-sector engagement and future collaboration. As one participant noted, the workshop highlighted “the vital importance of investment in people as part of infrastructure programmes.”
We extend our sincere thanks to the National Archives for hosting and supporting the event. We look forward to building on these learnings at our upcoming regional workshops:
- Thursday 18 September, at the National Museums Scotland
- Tuesday 4 November, at Cardiff University
These workshops are intentionally distributed across the UK to encourage and support meaningful collaborations between our funded projects and regional organisations. More details including session themes, speakers and registration information will be available soon. In the meantime, be sure to save the dates and continue to visit our website for updates.
We look forward to welcoming you at these exciting events.