About the Reveal Project
The Research Vault for Heritage Science Collections (REVEAL), led by the Heritage Science team, is a major project funded through the AHRC RICHeS (Research Infrastructure for Conservation and Heritage Science) programme. Spanning 22 months, this project will consolidate and enhance accessibility to Historic Royal Palace's substantial sample and data collections through a dedicated physical and digital storage facility.
This project will systematically catalogue scientific samples into a centralised collection, enhancing research access and fostering interdisciplinary collaborations. The upgraded physical space will improve environmental conditions to accommodate over 6,000 samples and will provide critical insights into historic materials, techniques, and cultural artefacts spanning over 1,000 years of history.
Our project partners will provide crucial input on specialist access needs for a wide range of users, including heritage organisations, academia, industry and practitioners.
The REVEAL facility will also provide training opportunities to staff, external users and students.
Image: Dr Constantina Vlachou-Mogire in the newly upgraded scientific labratory at Hampton Court Palace © Historic Royal Palaces.
Image: Dr Moira Bertasa recording 3D laser-scanning data of the Queen Caroline’s State bed feet in situ in the Queen’s Bedchamber at Hampton Court Palace © Historic Royal Palaces
Project impact
This project will establish a state-of-the-art heritage science infrastructure, integrating physical and digital repositories for scientific samples, research data, and digital assets. This project will ensure comprehensive cataloguing and safe storage that will significantly increase accessibility to Historic Royal Palace’s scientific sample collections.
This project will also enhance research and foster partnerships across the heritage science community, strengthening Historic Royal Palace's role in advancing heritage science and conservation practices.
More about the project
Project team
Project Lead: Dr Constantina Vlachou-Mogire
Project Co-Lead: Dr Moira Bertasa
Partners
The Royal Collection Trust
English Heritage
Historic England
University of Oxford
University College London
Kingston University London
Clyde HSI
Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA)
Website
Find out more on the RICHeS website.
Funding
This project is funded by the Arts and Humanities Research Council’s Research Infrastructure for Conservation and Heritage (RICHeS) programme.
