Medieval tombs discovered beneath Notre-Dame
Among the discoveries were a large number of fragments of Notre-Dame de Paris’ lost medieval rood screen.
Restoration
Digging Caesar’s Forum: three thousand years of daily life in Rome
Fresh traces of urban life spanning almost three millennia are coming to light in central Rome. New Danish-Italian excavations have uncovered far more than Caesar’s monumental forum project. Delving through archaeological layers, while travelling back in time from Mussolini’s 1930s constructions, Jan Kindberg Jacobsen, Eva Mortensen, Claudio Parisi Presicce, and Rubina Raja disentangle the complex urban stratigraphy of the Eternal City.
The New Model Army: Agent of Revolution
REVIEW BY DAVID FLINTHAM. Created in 1645, the New Model Army was a truly formidable fighting force: in the first six years of its existence, it crushed Royalist resistance in England, Ireland, and Scotland, and brought about the execution of…
University partners with Tank Museum to preserve historic vehicles
Many of the tanks on display and in storage are examples of British engineering heritage.
London’s finest craftspeople come together to discuss city’s heritage
The event, Meet the Makers Behind London's Heritage, is being hosted by the Heritage of London Trust (HOLT), an independent charity which has spearheaded restoration projects in the city for over 40 years.
Scanning the Elgin Marbles
The story was seen as a further blow to the argument that the Marbles must stay in London – replicas ‘accurate to a millimetre’ could be displayed at the British Museum and few visitors would know the difference.
The House of the Harpist
A remarkable group of luxurious wall paintings has been discovered at a rich Roman residence called the House of the Harpist in Arles, southern France. The house was discovered beneath an 18th-century glassworks factory in the Trinquetaille district, on the…
Ancient Greek necropolis to welcome visitors in June 2022
The Ipogeo dei Cristallini is situated just outside the limits of ancient Neapolis.
Honouring Augustus
After centuries of reuse and years of closure, the Mausoleum of Augustus is now open to visitors. Dalu Jones examines the structure’s long history and how, with its neighbour the Ara Pacis, it forms a modern monumental complex to the ancient emperor in the heart of Rome.
Restoring Stonehenge: securing a Neolithic monument over 120 years
This autumn, specialists have been working to conserve some of the Stonehenge sarsens, the latest in a series of initiatives stretching back to the dawn of the 20th century. CA Editor Carly Hilts spoke to Heather Sebire to find out more.
Pharaoh Djoser’s tomb reopens after restoration
A tomb belonging to King Djoser, an ancient Egyptian pharaoh who lived in the Third Dynasty, over 4,500 years ago, has recently reopened to the public after extensive restoration work.
British Museum restores Beirut objects
Eight glass vessels which were destroyed in the Beirut port explosion in Lebanon, 4 August 2020, are currently being restored by the British Museum, with the support of The European Fine Art Foundation.
Plans of new home for National Museum of the US Navy revealed
Initially commissioned in 2020, the new NMUSN campus will be in the vicinity of the historic Washington Navy Yard, allowing easy access to the public.
Roman origins revealed for statue of Alfred the Great
The base was probably made in the late 1st or early to mid 2nd century AD by a Continental craftsman
Historic Dockyard building rated top sustainable structure
The Fitted Rigging House at the Historic Dockyard Chatham won The Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) South East Sustainability Award 2021 for its £8.2m preservation project.
Iona’s archetype? A concrete replica of the Cross of St John speaks
The Isle of Iona, located off the south-western coast of Mull in the Inner Hebrides, has been described by the poet Robert Crawford (b. 1959) as a place where ‘spirit, imagination, and physical exertion mingle’. Iona’s assemblage of early medieval carved stones and grave slabs constitute a special part of the island’s magic, forming a collection of early medieval art for which there are few parallels in the rest of Europe. The importance of one cross in particular – the 8th-century Cross of St John – has only recently been realised, in part because of a study of its concrete replica, as Current Archaeology's Chris Catling reveals.
Investigations resume at Jersey’s Elizabeth Castle
The work is a continuation of investigations started in 2017 by the University of York to deepen our understanding of the castle’s history.
Project to restore Waterloo hero’s monument gets funding boost
The site is dedicated to Henry Paget, who was second in command under the Duke of Wellington and leader of the allied cavalry at the Battle of Waterloo in 1815.
Cleaning Cold War aircraft
The team from Arco Services had to abseil from the hangar’s 30m-high roof to get access to the various aircraft, which include a Vulcan bomber and an English Electric Lightning.
The D-Day Story Museum
Reviewing the best military history exhibitions, with Calum Henderson.
Buffalo LVT excavated in Lincolnshire
Lightly armoured amphibious landing craft, Buffalo LVTs (Landing Vehicles Tracked), were used by the Allies in the crossing of the Rhine and Elbe rivers in March 1945.
Saving British heritage
the organisation has halted the Westminster Parliament’s expensive and environmentally damaging plan to demolish Richmond House, listed at Grade II* as a rare example of a fine building from the 1980s...
Caerphilly Castle receives £5m investment to boost visitor experience
There are plans for the redecoration of Caerphilly’s Great Hall to restore its original medieval splendour, and for the installation of new interpretations offering enlivened insights into the history of the castle...
Lost and found: a Roman reunion
A 38cm-long bronze finger has rejoined the hand of Constantine the Great in the Capitoline Museums in Rome. The ancient digit, once part of a 12m-high statue of Constantine of which several sizeable fragments survive, was acquired by the Louvre…
High-tech floor to be constructed in Rome’s Colosseum
The project aims to restore the image of the arena as it was in the 1st century AD.
Napoleon’s tomb
Finally completed in April 1861,Napoleon’s remains were transferred into this huge object of red aventurine quartzite from a quarry in northern Russia.
Contractors bid to deliver Hull’s new maritime visitor centre
The North End Shipyard is a surviving reminder of Hull's 800 years of maritime history.
National Trust celebrates 125th anniversary of first house purchased
Medieval property Alfriston Clergy House was the first to be purchased by the National Trust, and it cost just £10.
£1m conservation work begins on Hertfordshire church
The entire church was in danger of collapse.
Museums and monuments
World news stories covering the restoration of the Mausoleum of Augusts (Rome), the restoration of the Ghent Altarpiece (Belgium), and a sculpture of the capital of the Kingdom of Ghana.
Brescia: Wings of Victory
After it was discovered hidden in a Roman temple with other works of art, a bronze statue of Victory attracted the attention of rulers and writers, who praised and sought copies of the ancient masterpiece. Now restored, the winged statue is back on view in its former home. Dalu Jones tells the story of Brixia’s beautiful bronzes.
Saving Cragside’s Victorian fireplace
‘If untreated, the fireplace could crumble quickly.’
Torlonia marbles: An archaeology of a 19th-century antiquities collection
The sculptures making up the Torlonia marbles provide a potent glimpse of life in ancient Rome. But this 19th-century collection is also an artefact in its own right.
A helping hand for heritage
Since 1980, the UK’s National Heritage Memorial Fund has been safeguarding significant heritage at risk of loss. New archaeological finds declared as Treasure, works of art being sold to overseas buyers, historic buildings, and even an island home for puffins all come under the NHMF’s remit, with the various items they support serving as a memorial to those who have died for the UK. As the government-funded NHMF celebrated its 40th anniversary, Lucia Marchini spoke to Vanessa Wells to learn more about its achievements over the decades.
The Fairground Heritage Trust
Fed up with being locked down? You could do worse than escape for an hour into the brightly lit and colourful world of the fair, courtesy of the richly illustrated website of the Fairground Heritage Trust (FHT). Browsing the ‘Learning’…
Reviving Ousdale Broch
A recent conservation project has breathed new life into an Iron Age broch in northern Scotland. The Ousdale Broch, just south of Berriedale in Caithness, used to be considered one of the best-preserved brochs in the region. At some point…