Archives come in many shapes and sizes and our A1 archive is no different. Over the course of the project, we have encountered many types of materials, and possibly one of the most difficult type of artefact to package and archive is the stonework.

We uncovered several tons of stonework during the project ranging from the tiniest of whetstones to the bridge abutment stone you see pictured.

 

Why is stonework important to an archive?

Like all other artefacts, stonework can give a good indication of how people were living at the time, the daily practices they were undertaking, the tools and materials they used and the architecture that surrounded them.

 

How is it stored?

The smaller stonework, like everything else, is bagged and packed in archive boxes to protect it from being damaged by external elements. This is very different for the large pieces of stonework, some of which are over 1m in length and can’t be lifted without the help of machinery. Labels listing project details are tied to the objects to make it easy to spot important information about them when in storage. The stonework items are then placed onto pallets which distribute the weight and make them easy to manoeuvre around our store, using a pallet truck and while wearing steel-toecap boots of course. Archaeologists need to be protected too!