Is research in stone conservation “on the rocks?” This volume, part of the Research in Conservation series, offers an in-depth critical appraisal of the status of stone conservation research today, identifying areas of strength and weakness in the field as a whole. The author, a noted British archaeological conservation scientist, discusses recent research on the causes of stone decay, as well as current preventive measures, assessment tools, and treatment durability. He also reviews current research on methods of evaluating the effectiveness of these methodologies and treatments. The book includes a comprehensive survey of the literature, draws from conversations with professionals in the field, and provides recommendations for increasing the effectiveness of research, including the improvement of training, symposia, and research programs and the establishment of conservation policy.

• Foreword
• Preface
• Introduction
• Chapter 1 Stone Decay
• Chapter 2 Putting It Right: Preventive and Remedial Treatments
• Chapter 3 Do They Work? Assessing the Effectiveness of Treatments
• Chapter 4 Putting It into Practice: Conservation Policy
• Chapter 5 Doing Better: Increasing the Effectiveness of Research
• Conclusion
• Appendix
• References
• Index

Clifford Price worked first at the Building Research Establishment, where he undertook research in stone conservation. In 1983 he was appointed Head of the Ancient Monuments Laboratory with English Heritage, and in 1990 he began a readership in archaeological conservation at the Institute of Archaeology, University College London, where he is director-designate of the proposed Centre for Conservation and Museum Sciences. He has been involved in the conservation of several major cathedrals, notably the west front of Wells Cathedral from 1974 to 1985.