Historic Royal Palaces' Heritage Science Laboratory Equipment Upgrade
Lead Research Organisation:
Historic Royal Palaces
Department Name: Conservation & Collection Care
Abstract
This equipment investment project will enable Historic Royal Palaces (HRP) to achieve the full scale of our ambition as a cross-disciplinary Independent Research Organisation (IRO) within the heritage science landscape.
HRP is an independent charity which cares for six historic royal sites: the UNESCO World Heritage Site Tower of London; Hampton Court Palace; Kensington Palace; the Banqueting House White Hall; Kew Palace, Kew Pagoda and Queen Charlotte's Cottage; and Hillsborough Castle and Gardens. HRP are the trusted custodians of more than 60,000 objects, with one of the largest number of tapestries, baroque wall paintings and state beds on display in the UK. The Collection is housed in more than 1,000 rooms across the six sites.
The HRP scientific laboratory was founded 30 years ago and since then HRP has established a distinguished reputation in the field of heritage science and conservation research, collaborating extensively with academic, heritage and industry partners on innovative projects and the supervision of doctoral students and disseminating results through publications and papers. This work has included the sharing of equipment and access to on site spaces, collections and resources.
The HRP scientific laboratory was initially set up to investigate historic textiles, most notably the internationally significant collection of tapestries at Hampton Court Palace. Over the years, however, both the scope of work needed across the entirety of HRP's buildings and collections and developments in technologies and equipment mean that despite ongoing investment by the charity the laboratory is in need of significant capital investment to enable HRP and its collaborators to continue their pioneering research.
The proposed equipment upgrade will result in a step-change in the ability of HRP and its partners to undertake detailed scientific and aesthetical analysis of heritage assets and complement the currently available instrumentation by providing in depth information and data on the condition, materials and manufacturing techniques of our palaces and collections.
More specifically, the upgrade will enable HRP to pursue three research discovery projects within the early years of the new infrastructure. Banqueting House Rubens Ceilings Paintings aims to undertake complex surveys and cross-discipline analysis to determine how the paintings were created, have altered through material degradation or restoration interventions and establish an accurate record of their present condition to inform changes in visual perception and interpretation over time. Hampton Court Historic Tapestries Protection seeks to integrate and process 10 years of environmental monitoring data and other technical research on the tapestries to improve understanding and preservation of historic tapestries using Building Information Modelling. Non-invasive method to measure damage on historic tapestries using hyperspectral imaging, could be another potential research collaboration between HRP and UCL which would seek funding from AHRC for a larger-scale project to set up a bespoke imaging project in Hampton Court Palace to predict the level of damage on tapestries in-situ using instrumentation funded by this call.
HRP receives no funding from central government or the Crown, and is therefore solely reliant on income from visitors, members, donors, sponsors and research funding. Due to the Covid-19 pandemic HRP has seen a shortfall in income of 95 million pounds in the financial year 2020-2021 and does not project recovery of pre-pandemic visitor numbers until 2023-24 at the earliest. Despite HRPs commitment to heritage science and the HRP scientific laboratory, therefore, it is highly unlikely that there will be funds available from within the organisation for the proposed equipment investment for at least the next five years.
HRP is an independent charity which cares for six historic royal sites: the UNESCO World Heritage Site Tower of London; Hampton Court Palace; Kensington Palace; the Banqueting House White Hall; Kew Palace, Kew Pagoda and Queen Charlotte's Cottage; and Hillsborough Castle and Gardens. HRP are the trusted custodians of more than 60,000 objects, with one of the largest number of tapestries, baroque wall paintings and state beds on display in the UK. The Collection is housed in more than 1,000 rooms across the six sites.
The HRP scientific laboratory was founded 30 years ago and since then HRP has established a distinguished reputation in the field of heritage science and conservation research, collaborating extensively with academic, heritage and industry partners on innovative projects and the supervision of doctoral students and disseminating results through publications and papers. This work has included the sharing of equipment and access to on site spaces, collections and resources.
The HRP scientific laboratory was initially set up to investigate historic textiles, most notably the internationally significant collection of tapestries at Hampton Court Palace. Over the years, however, both the scope of work needed across the entirety of HRP's buildings and collections and developments in technologies and equipment mean that despite ongoing investment by the charity the laboratory is in need of significant capital investment to enable HRP and its collaborators to continue their pioneering research.
The proposed equipment upgrade will result in a step-change in the ability of HRP and its partners to undertake detailed scientific and aesthetical analysis of heritage assets and complement the currently available instrumentation by providing in depth information and data on the condition, materials and manufacturing techniques of our palaces and collections.
More specifically, the upgrade will enable HRP to pursue three research discovery projects within the early years of the new infrastructure. Banqueting House Rubens Ceilings Paintings aims to undertake complex surveys and cross-discipline analysis to determine how the paintings were created, have altered through material degradation or restoration interventions and establish an accurate record of their present condition to inform changes in visual perception and interpretation over time. Hampton Court Historic Tapestries Protection seeks to integrate and process 10 years of environmental monitoring data and other technical research on the tapestries to improve understanding and preservation of historic tapestries using Building Information Modelling. Non-invasive method to measure damage on historic tapestries using hyperspectral imaging, could be another potential research collaboration between HRP and UCL which would seek funding from AHRC for a larger-scale project to set up a bespoke imaging project in Hampton Court Palace to predict the level of damage on tapestries in-situ using instrumentation funded by this call.
HRP receives no funding from central government or the Crown, and is therefore solely reliant on income from visitors, members, donors, sponsors and research funding. Due to the Covid-19 pandemic HRP has seen a shortfall in income of 95 million pounds in the financial year 2020-2021 and does not project recovery of pre-pandemic visitor numbers until 2023-24 at the earliest. Despite HRPs commitment to heritage science and the HRP scientific laboratory, therefore, it is highly unlikely that there will be funds available from within the organisation for the proposed equipment investment for at least the next five years.
Publications
Vlachou-Mogire, C
(2023)
Mapping materials and dyes on historic tapestries using hyperspectral imaging
in Heritage
| Description | This grant funded equipment upgrade provided the rare opportunity to renew dated equipment and expand considerably research infrastructure with a newly renovated state-of-the-art laboratory. Historic Royal Palaces (HRP) Heritage Science Laboratory established 30 years ago and needed significant capital investment to enable HRP and its collaborators to continue their pioneering research The delivery of the project took place within five months and included the purchase and installation of non-invasive portable instruments for in-situ technical analysis and digital recording of collections, sample preparation and bench top or larger scale analytical instruments including microscopy, material analysis and accelerating ageing. All equipment has now been bought and installed in a newly renovated space with eclectics, networking, flooring, redecoration and furniture. Through this grant a dedicated server for data storage was also installed to facilitate safe access and archiving of scientific data. This capital investment has certainly been a step-change in Historic Royal Palaces' ability to undertake scientific analysis and research enabling access to a wide range of methods for a holistic technical examination of our heritage assets. The expanded research facility will also allow for the development of digital resources supporting immersive experiences and technological innovation. Although the main priority during last year was the successful delivery of the project, including equipment installation and training, initial examples on how this new research facility has been used to support interdisciplinary research are the following case studies: - Anne Boleyn falcon badge: Investigations provided evidence towards the authentication and decorative scheme of this rare find. - Hampton Court Palace Little Banqueting House wall painting: Provided analytical support to identify the degradation phenomena and varnish composition informing the conservation approach for this project funded by Historic England. -Dye analysis on historic tapestries using hyperspectral imaging: A collaborative research project between HRP's scientists and textile conservators and engineers from ClydeHSI has developed a novel non-invasive method to identify materials and dyes on historic tapestries using the hyperspectral imaging scanner purchased through this grant. The outcomes of this research have been disseminated with a paper presented at an iternational conference and a peer reviewed article. A follow-up research paper will be presented at the Technart2023 conference. -XRF analysis of a Kokoshnik-style tiara (on loan to HRP) took place at Kensington Palace on 12 July. As there were questions regarding the precious metal alloys used for the setting of the diamonds and the frame of the tiara, XRF analysis was performed with the portable instrument purchased with this grant. |
| Exploitation Route | HRP has distinctive research needs, but we continually look for new ways of working and most often find these through our collaborative initiatives. HRP has already built strong relationships with academic institutions, heritage organisations and industry. This upgraded research infrastructure will foster further cross disciplinary research partnerships as well as nurture the next generation of heritage scientists, facilitating access to skills and knowledge to analytical instrumentation, scientific data sets and sample collections. The state-of-the-art HRP Heritage Science Laboratory has provided support to external research initiatives. The National Archives used the Scanning Electron Microscope to examine parchment samples. This work was part of a research collaboration with the University of Bristol to develop a minimally invasive methodology to sample lipids from historic parchment for isotope analysis. Furthermore, as part of a collaborative project between the National Archives and Trinity College Dublin (Ireland), the Institute for Sustainable Heritage and UCL Digitisation Suite, University College London, Historic Royal Palaces and Clyde HIS, the hyperspectral imaging scanner was successfully used to read galled documents. The outcomes of this research will be presented at the Technart 2023 conference. Finally, the pXRF was used to analyse bone samples in support of the PhD Optimisation of Museum Environments for Bone and Ivory collaborative project of Birkbeck, University of London and English Heritage. |
| Sectors | Creative Economy Education Environment Culture Heritage Museums and Collections |
| Description | The capital investment enables Historic Royal Palaces to take an international lead in research and create new opportunities to develop techniques to protect and conserve the buildings, estates and objects in our care which can be shared with other heritage organisations, universities, businesses and a global audience. This funding supports the strategic vision for investment in arts and humanities infrastructure set out in Chapter 5 of UKRI's Opportunities to grow our capability report which is vital for the heritage sector's future success. The upgraded Heritage Science research facility will be delivering research towards addressing societal challenges identified by the National Heritage Science Forum's Research Working Group Heritage Science and Societal Challenges: a blueprint for action paper by - enhancing our understanding of how to sustainably care for our heritage assets, including a World Heritage Site, - assessing how climate change is affecting our buildings and their collections to inform future conservation strategies and - developing digital assets that can be repurposed for public engagement opportunities. This capital investment has certainly been a step-change in HRP's ability to undertake scientific analysis and research enabling access to a wide range of methods for a holistic technical examination of our heritage assets. Over the last two years the upgraded scientific facility has been used on several projects supporting HRP's work to study and preserve our palaces and collections. The expanded research facility has also allowed the development of digital resources supporting immersive experiences and technological innovation. HRP has distinctive research needs, but we continually look for new ways of working and most often find these through our collaborative initiatives. Over the last year, HRP developed a novel application of hyperspectral imaging in collaboration with the manufacturer of the ClydeHSI Art Scanner for the analysis of materials and dyes on historic tapestries. HRP had already built strong relationships with academic institutions, heritage organisations and industry however the upgraded research infrastructure has fostered further cross disciplinary research partnerships with external institutions such as The National Archives, English Heritage and Birkbeck University. This capital investment has also supported the recruitment of a Heritage Scientist in a full-time post (this was vacant over the last two years due to the impact Covid-19) and enabled extensive training and engagement with staff across the organisation. The lab upgrade has also generated extensive communication and engagement activities including seminar / conference talks, social media or tv broadcasting as well as facilitating many stakeholder engagements with national and international visitors including policy makers, funders, academic and heritage professionals as well as volunteer and community groups. |
| First Year Of Impact | 2021 |
| Sector | Culture, Heritage, Museums and Collections |
| Impact Types | Cultural Societal Economic |
| Description | Reading the Unreadable. Advanced Imaging to Recover Illegible Text in Historic Documents Affected by Faded Ink, Soiled Parchment and Chemical Damage |
| Organisation | The National Archives |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Sector | Public |
| PI Contribution | As part of a collaborative project between the National Archives and Trinity College Dublin (Ireland), the Institute for Sustainable Heritage and UCL Digitisation Suite, University College London, Historic Royal Palaces and Clyde HIS, the hyperspectral imaging scanner was successfully used to read galled documents. |
| Collaborator Contribution | From fires to floods, from invisible inks to redactions, information has been accidentally or intentionally obscured on countless documents, maps and photographs, in archives, libraries, and museums across the world. Removed from catalogues and reading rooms and therefore inaccessible to researchers and the general public, what new knowledge would these obscured documents reveal, if we were able to read them? This paper demonstrates that current imaging technologies can be used to unlock this 'lost' archive. We used Multiband Imaging (MBI), Hyperspectral Imaging (HSI) and macro X-Ray Fluorescence (MA-XRF) scanning to reveal illegible letter-forms and whole words written in iron gall ink on parchment, in medieval documents relevant to the 'Virtual Record Treasury of Ireland' project, a digital reconstruction of archives destroyed in 1922 at the Public Record Office of Ireland at the outset of the Irish Civil War. UV imaging, both in luminescence and reflected modes, are well established methods to improve the readability of faded or obscured iron gall ink, and in this study were successful at enhancing the contrast of the text and the parchment in areas with faded ink, old damp stains and ingrained dirt. Visualising text in "galled" documents is, however, particularly challenging, due to the similar composition of the ink and the staining. These are documents that appear darkened as a consequence of the application of chemical reagents by 19th century scholars trying to enhance faded or erased ink. Hyperspectral imaging proved helpful to read documents with moderate chemical damage, particularly after applying PCA. Text in documents that were severely damaged by galling, was only recoverable with µXRF scanning of the iron distribution from the ink. This also posed several challenges, such as minimising movement of the parchment during overnight scans and separating the data corresponding to iron on the front of the parchment which was combined with the signal from the back. Through subtraction of elemental maps during post-processing, we managed to tackle the latter issue. The combination of imaging techniques enabled records experts to identify individual characters and whole words, thereby recovering the meaning of texts that were previously indecipherable. Further research will adapt the methodology to the broad range of causes of information loss, including other reagents historically used for ink enhancement such as the Gioberti tincture (a weak acid solution of potassium hexacyanoferrate), as well as the variety of document media and temporalities, which require an extensive and multi-faceted approach of advanced imaging and post-processing techniques, in balance with the preservation needs of these fragile and invaluable historic materials. |
| Impact | The outcomes of this research were presented at the Technart 2023 conference Lisbon 7-12 May 2023 and a paper has been submitted for publication |
| Start Year | 2023 |
| Description | "Mapping materials and dyes on historic tapestries using hyperspectral imaging" conference presentation |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | This paper was presented at the international conference Dyes in History and Archaeology 2022, Visby, Sweden, 11-13 October summarising the preliminary outcomes of the collaborative research project between HRP's scientists and textile conservators and ClydeHSI engineers using the hyperspectral imaging system recently acquired through this grant to develop a novel method for mapping materials and dyes on historic tapestries. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2022 |
| URL | https://www.raa.se/in-english/events-seminars-and-cultural-experiences/dyes-in-history-and-archaeolo... |
| Description | AHRC Capability for Collections (CapCo) - summer showcasing event |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | The PI presented the project at a virtual event AHRC's Infrastructure Team, organised for the Capability for Collections award-holders to celebrate the first successful allocation of capital funding. The meeting provided the opportunity to show new equipment and facilities, initiate discussion for potential collaborations and also hear about AHRC's plans for further strategic investment in arts and humanities research infrastructure. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2021 |
| Description | AHRC delegation visit |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an open day or visit at my research institution |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Policymakers/politicians |
| Results and Impact | We were delighted to have hosted the AHRC Executive Chair and the Senior Investment Manager, Heritage and International Research Infrastructures at the HRP Heritage Science Laboratory, Hampton Court Palace. During this visit we had the opportunity to discuss about how our scientific research has supported the conservation programme of HRP's palaces and collections over the years and the impact of the CapCo investment has had in our research capabilities providing much needed infrastructure and state-of-the-art instrumentation to support innovation. A follow up visit from the AHRC Infrastructure Team took place on 24 August 2023. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2022,2023 |
| Description | Activity Title Historic Royal Palaces unveils newly-upgraded state-o-the-art scientific laboratory thanks to fund to support heritage research |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A press release, press conference or response to a media enquiry/interview |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Media (as a channel to the public) |
| Results and Impact | This press release communicated the successful delivery of the Historic Royal Palaces (Heritage Science Laboratory Upgrade AHRC Capability for Collections award. The main impact of this capital investment equipment upgrade highlighted was the transformation of the charity's ability to undertake detailed scientific analysis of heritage assets, as well as providing in-depth information and data on the condition, materials and manufacturing techniques of its world-famous palaces and collections supporting future research |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2021 |
| URL | https://staging.hrp.org.uk/media-and-press/press-releases-2021/historic-royal-palaces-unveils-newly-... |
| Description | Anne Boleyn falcon badge analysis showcased in Hampton Court Behind Closed Doors Channel 5 series |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A broadcast e.g. TV/radio/film/podcast (other than news/press) |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Media (as a channel to the public) |
| Results and Impact | A fascinating recent project to study the carved falcon badge discovered last year by a private collector and might have originally created for Hampton Court Palace's Great Hall. Initial investigations provided evidence towards the authentication and decorative scheme of this rare find before it went on display in this historic space to commemorate 500 years since Anne Boleyn is first recorded as appearing before her future husband Henry VIII. This included interview of the PI and filming at the Heritage Science Laboratory to showcase the results of the technical examination of Anne Boleyn's flacon badge and discuss new discoveries on the materials used for the decoration of this rare object The filming of the work in the lab including interview with the PI was showcased in the Chanel 5 Hampton Court behind closed doors series 2 Episode 1. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2022 |
| URL | https://www.channel5.com/show/hampton-court-behind-closed-doors/season-2/6ca954d6-5897-4170-b207-efa... |
| Description | Community Engagement Groups visit the Heritage Science Laboratory as part of the British Science Week 2024 |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an open day or visit at my research institution |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | Local |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | This was an opportunity to host over 30 members of HRP's Community Engagement Groups to the Heritage Science Laboratory to show the facility and discuss how scientific research informs our conservation work to care for the palaces and collections. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2024 |
| Description | Conservation Science for Historic House Collections EH/NT/HRP Research Seminar Presentation |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | The PI presented Historic Royal Palaces Heritage Science Laboratory Upgrade AHRC CapCo award at the Conservation Science for Historic House Collections Annual Research Seminar organised between English Heritage, the National Trust and Historic Royal Palaces. The meeting had about 70 online attendees while the video recordings were subsequently made available to all staff members of the three organisations reaching an audience of over 100 heritage specialists. The presentation highlighted the new research infrastructure and analytical capabilities available to support cross disciplinary collaborative research focused on historic building environment collections. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2022 |
| Description | Conserving 16th century royal tapestries: Developing innovative methods of mapping materials and dyes using advanced hyperspectral imaging technology |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Engagement focused website, blog or social media channel |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | A story on the innovative analytical method to characterise dyes in historic tapestries using hyperspectral imaging has been published at the Google Arts and Culture Historic Royal Palaces site. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2023 |
| URL | https://artsandculture.google.com/story/bQXRFBWrD2tTdQ |
| Description | Culture Recovery Fund and Historic England visit at Hampton Court Palace |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an open day or visit at my research institution |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Policymakers/politicians |
| Results and Impact | A delegation from Historic England and Culture Recover Fund including the Chair of the Cultural Recovery Fund Board and the Chair of Historic England, visited the upgraded Heritage Science laboratory. The PI provided details on the delivery of the project, the UKRI AHRC Capability for Collections grants scheme and its impact on the preservation of heritage assets. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2022 |
| Description | Czech National Heritage Board delegates visit |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an open day or visit at my research institution |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | Three visitors from the Czech National Heritage Board, visited Hampton Court Palace as part of a trip to UK heritage institutions to explore conservation and interpretation practices of our sites and collections. During their visit at the HRP Heritage Science Laboratory we had the opportunity to discuss about how scientific research underpins the conservation of heritage and the impact the new infrastructure would have in the quality of our research outputs. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2021 |
| Description | Czech National Monuments Institute visit |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an open day or visit at my research institution |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | The Czech National Monuments Institute are the government body that oversees the care and management of many of the Czech national heritage sites 60 of their heritage professionals visited Hampton Court Palace as part of a trip to UK heritage institutions to explore conservation and interpretation practices of our sites and collections. During their visit at the HRP Heritage Science Laboratory we had the opportunity to discuss about how scientific research underpins the conservation of heritage and the impact the new infrastructure would have in the quality of our research outputs. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2023 |
| Description | DCMS delegation visit and other funders |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an open day or visit at my research institution |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Policymakers/politicians |
| Results and Impact | A delegation from DCMS including the Deputy Director Heritage, Arts, Heritage & Tourism the Senior Heritage Policy Advisor, Heritage Division and the Head of Strategic Engagement, Heritage Division visited the upgraded Heritage Science laboratory. The PI provided details on the delivery of the project, the UKRI AHRC Capability for Collections grants scheme and its impact on the preservation of heritage assets. In 2024 we hosted a visit from the Drapers Company. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2022,2024 |
| Description | HRP/NT/EH joint research seminar presentation: Heritage Science Laboratory CapCo Upgrade - Impact on research and collaboration |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | The 13th annual Joint Research Seminar between Historic Royal Palaces, English Heritage and the National Trust took place at Hampton Court Palace on Tuesday 10 January. This meeting is a great opportunity for the three organisations to discuss current research projects and exchange new findings, facilitating prompt access to important information related to collection care and reducing duplication of research effort and resources. This hybrid event was attended by over 55 people across the three organisations while the sessions were recorded and became available to colleagues unable to join on the day. The PI presented a talk on the impact the CapCo research infrastructure upgrade had on the research outcomes over the year. The programme also allowed two sessions for visiting the HRP Heritage Science Laboratory. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2023 |
| Description | Heritage Management MA students visit |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an open day or visit at my research institution |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Postgraduate students |
| Results and Impact | Post graduate students of the MA in Heritage Management visited the upgraded Heritage Science Laboratory at Hampton Court Palace to hear about the impact of this significant investment would have on scientific research related to the preservation and management of heritage assets. This course is a collaboration between Historic Royal Palaces and Queen Mary University of London. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2022,2023,2024 |
| Description | Historic Royal Palaces staff visits |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an open day or visit at my research institution |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | Local |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | A number of internal visits took place for colleagues to hear more about the AHRC CapCo Grant and the impact the upgrade of our scientific facility would have to the delivery of HRP's Cause, charitable aims and supporting the Independent Research Organisation status. Visitors included HRP's CEO, Executive Board and colleagues from the Curatorial, Surveyors, Interpretation, Finance, IS, Press, Communities, Human Resources and Procurement Teams. We have also hosted the new Chair of the HRP Trustees Board Sir Nicolas Coleridge. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2021,2022,2023,2024 |
| Description | Historic tapestry dye analysis with hyperspectral imaging |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | Presentation to an international conference to communicate the outcomes of the research project on developing a novel method to characterise dyes on historic tapestries using hyperspectral imaging. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2023 |
| URL | https://technart2023.com/ |
| Description | National Gallery of Art, Washington DC, USA visit |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an open day or visit at my research institution |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | Two visitors from the National Gallery of Art, Washington were hosted at the HRP Heritage Science Laboratory. During this visit the PI had the opportunity to discuss about the upgraded research infrastructure and applications supporting preventive conservation. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2022 |
| Description | Presentation at the National Heritage Science Forum Members Meeting |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | This event, hosted by the National Heritage Science Forum (NHSF) Research Working Group to celebrate the recent enhancement of Heritage Science research infrastructure through the Arts and Humanities Research Council's (AHRC) Capability for Collections (CapCo) scheme. This development supported the Research Working Group's key outcome of physical and digital infrastructure so that research takes place across the United Kingdom. My talk focussed on CapCo-funded equipment upgrades in the Historic Royal Palaces (HRP) Heritage Science Laboratory, located at Hampton Court Palace. I explained how HRP's newly renovated laboratory and portable equipment would enable the performance of a more holistic analysis approach, supporting research and saving on outsourcing to support its pandemic. The location of the laboratory within the Palace, along with time constraints and supply chain issues, were the principal challenges for this project. The meeting has enabled useful reflection and sharing of experiences. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2022 |
| URL | https://www.heritagescienceforum.org.uk/members/heritage-science-infrastructure |
| Description | Reading the Unreadable. Advanced Imaging to Recover Illegible Text in Historic Documents |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | As part of a collaborative project between the National Archives and Trinity College Dublin, the Institute for Sustainable Heritage and UCL Digitisation Suite, University College London, Historic Royal Palaces and Clyde HIS, the hyperspectral imaging scanner was successfully used to read galled documents. The outcomes of this research comunicated at the Technart 2023 conference Lisbon 7-12 May in the following presentation: Lucía Pereira-Pardo, Paul Dryburgh, Elizabeth Biggs, Marc Vermeulen, Peter Crook, Adam Gibson, Molly Fort, Constantina Vlachou-Mogire, Moira Bertasa, John Gilchrist, Jon Danskin, 'Reading the Unreadable. Advanced Imaging to Recover Illegible Text in Historic Documents' |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2023 |
| URL | https://technart2023.com/ |
| Description | Recording of a hidden graffiti discovery at Hampton Court Palace with scientific methods |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Engagement focused website, blog or social media channel |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | This is a video shared in the HRP's Social media platforms explaining our work to study a hidden graffiti with a range of scientific techniques available in our upgraded facility. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2023 |
| URL | https://www.tiktok.com/@historic.royal.palaces/video/7312489757769026848 |
| Description | Royal Collection Trust visit |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an open day or visit at my research institution |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | The Director and other members of the Royal Collection Trust staff have visited the upgraded scientific facility to discuss new research capabilities supporting the delivery of conservation of the palaces and collections. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2021 |
| Description | Social media engagement celebrating British Science Week 2024 at Historic Royal Palaces |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Engagement focused website, blog or social media channel |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | Video shared through the HRP social media platforms showcasing the HRP Science Team and the Lab as part of the British Science Week 2024 |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2024 |
| URL | https://www.instagram.com/reel/C4QfMHUrtGt/?utm_source=ig_web_button_share_sheet |
| Description | Tapestry manufacturing reverse engineering: deconstructing the use of dyes with hyperspectral imaging |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | Presentation to an international conference to communicate the outcomes of the research project on developing a novel method to characterise dyes on historic tapestries using hyperspectral imaging. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2023 |
| URL | https://conferencemanager.events/dyesinhistoryandarchaeology |
| Description | UCL Institute for Sustainable Heritage and NXCT Teams visits |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an open day or visit at my research institution |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | Regional |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | We hosted two visits from the UCL Institute for Sustainable Heritage and NXCT Teams to showcase the new capabilities following the CapCo investment and discuss potential future collaboration opportunities. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2023 |
| Description | UKRI news item - Lab upgrade for Historic Royal Palaces brings old objects to life |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A press release, press conference or response to a media enquiry/interview |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | This news item based on the Historic Royal Palaces Heritage Science Laboratory Equipment Upgrade award, was selected to be showcased at the UKRI website demonstrating research investment's societal impact and raising awareness on heritage science research. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2021 |
| URL | https://www.ukri.org/about-us/research-outcomes-and-impact/ahrc/lab-upgrade-for-historic-royal-palac... |
| Description | Visits from heritage organisations |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an open day or visit at my research institution |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | Heritage practitioners from Historic England, English Heritage, The National Trust, Museum of London, Royal Museums Greenwich, Houses of Parliament, the Victoria and Albert Museum and Brighton Royal Pavilion visited the scientific facility over the last three years to find out about the new equipment and discuss research capabilities facilitated by this upgraded infrastructure. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2022,2023,2024 |
| Description | Volunteers visit the Heritage Science Laboratory |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an open day or visit at my research institution |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | Local |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | This was an opportunity to host over 40 volunteers from our organisation to the Heritage Science Laboratory to show the upgraded facility and discuss how scientific research informs our conservation work to care for the palaces and collections. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2023 |