This book provides a cross-disciplinary perspective on the degradation and deterioration of the cultural record encompassed by urban headstones located in parish churchyards. Its interdisciplinary approach allows the geomorphological analysis of rock weathering to be combined with the impacts on the cultural record, its interpretation, and management. In particular, by examining the impacts of air pollution on the weathering of these cultural markers, cross-temporal assessments can provide valuable information concerning the condition of the record and its sustainability potential as monuments of cultural heritage. Churchyards located in urban settings have grown in interest for the purposes of heritage conservation research. Specifically, headstones represent part of the historical and archaeological record and are recognised as a component of historical archaeology. They are also now approached from the standpoint of heritage conservation, either as monuments or cultural stone as well as being part of necrogeography through their address of burial and stone decay. In this brief, headstones located in parish churchyards in England and Scotland, as part of the Anglican record for the Church of England and the Presbyterian record for the Church of Scotland, were examined using non-destructive methods based on field observations since preliminary research in 2006 as part of a decadal scale (long-term) study. This multisite investigation captures the record since the 17th century, and mainly comprises limestone (England) and sandstone (Scotland) headstone markers that still remain upright. Most studied headstones appear before the 19th century, when this study’s temporal focus terminates. Seriations performed on the available record have revealed trends in style based on inscriptions, epitaphs, and motifs as well as quantified dimensions, shapes, and more. This study represents an attempt to pictorially record cultural stone and to observe cross-temporal and spatial change at various scales. As such, it offers a valuable resource for practitioners, e.g. conservators and archaeologists, as well as for students and researchers.

Winner of the RIBA Book Award, this important and timely publication brings together contributions from leading stone conservation practitioners. It discusses the philosophical principles on which stone conservation is founded and the need to understand the full history and development of a building before starting work. Other topics covered in this book include consolidation, cleaning, and the replacement of stone; conservation of different stone types, including limestone, sandstone, and marble; problems of dealing with polychrome stone; and finally, issues relating to church monuments and graveyards, taking account of the need for good maintenance and health and safety requirements. The book is illustrated with the authors' own examples of stone conservation in practice. Architects, surveyors and craftsmen involved in the conservation of stone structures will find this both a practical and useful reference work.

It has become obvious that public policy will play a critical role in determining what portion of our architectural heritage will be passed on to future generations and what portion will be lost to deterioration, development, and natural hazards. In developed nations, as much as 10% of the built environment is deemed of sufficient cultural and historic importance to be given local or national listing. At the international level, UNESCO maintains a World Heritage List that includes many stone monuments. While the past two decades have witnessed a growing body of research devoted to understanding the fundamental mechanisms of damage to stone and to developing strategies for the conservation of stone, virtually no research has been conducted on the quantification of the economic role of stone buildings and structures as well as the valuation of cultural property. In order to introduce the tools and methods of economic analysis to the public policy debate on the preservation of cultural property, a multidisciplinary team of physical scientists worked with social scientists to explore how societal, economic, and ethical considerations might be integrated with technological options to lead to informed policy decisions. Recognizing that economic analyses must rest on firm technical data and sound conservation options, the state of our knowledge of mechanisms and rates of damage, the diagnosis of condition, and the evaluation of treatment options were subjected to critical review; special attention was given to the identification of promising, innovative areas of research. This volume represents an important first step in rationalizing the decision-making process for the setting of public policy in the preservation of our architectural heritage. It will be of interest not only to those actively engaged in research and conservation on stone structures, but also to those concerned with urban planning, public policy, economic analysis, and environmental standards setting. Goal of this Dahlem Workshop: to identify critical gaps in our knowledge of the deterioration mechanisms for treated and untreated historically important stone; to suggest innovative approaches to the study of deterioration mechanisms and novel remedial measures for treated and untreated historically important stone; and to address the socioeconomic factors that determine preservation actions for our architectural heritage.

his interdisciplinary reference work presents a linked consideration, to the reader, of physical- cultural (physicocultural) representations of headstones located in urban churchyards in England and Scotland. The geomorphology of landscapes relevant to these locations is explained with the help of detailed case studies from Oxford and Edinburgh. The integrated physicocultural approach addresses the conservation of the archaeological record and presents a cross-temporal perspective of landscape change – of the headstones as landforms in their landscape (as part of deathscapes). The physical record (of headstones) is examined in the context of both cultural representation and change. In this way, an integrated approach is employed that connects the physical (natural) and cultural (social) records kept by historians and archeologists over the years. Changing Landscapes in Urban British Churchyards is of interest to geomorphologists, historians and scholars interested in understanding landscaping studies and cultural nuance of specific historical urban sites in England and Scotland.

The design of treatments for the conservation of stone in historical buildings and works of art is a challenging task, as a deep understanding of the working properties and performance of the available products and methods is required to tackle complex decay patterns. The chapters in this book illustrate the state of the art on traditional and innovative materials and methods for stone conservation, examining current trends and future perspectives. Each of them is focused on describing the consequent phases that complement the spectrum of the conservation intervention: preliminary investigations, condition assessment, and mapping of the deterioration patterns; surface cleaning, with a specific focus on laser technology; consolidation; protection; repair mortars and grouts; and onsite assessment and monitoring of conservation treatments. The performance of the applied conservation interventions is criticized and discussed with an aim of providing the specialists with specific tools for stone conservation. This book intends to bridge the gap between laboratory studies and conservation interventions, by linking together the diverse scientific areas involved in the preservation of stone heritage. Different case studies are included, highlighting specific conservation challenges and their solutions in order to understand and overcome them. The aim is to guide conservators, conservation scientists and heritage stakeholders in the selection of compatible and sustainable materials and techniques for Conserving Stone Heritage.

Urban Geomorphology: Landforms and Processes in Cities addresses the human impacts on landscapes through occupation (urbanization) and development as a contribution to anthropogenic geomorphology or "anthropogeomorphology." This includes a focus on land clearance, conservation issues, pollution, decay and erosion, urban climate, and anthropogenic climate change. These topics, as well as others, are considered to shed more light on the human transformation of natural landscapes and the environmental impacts and geomorphological hazards that environmental change can encompass. Its multidisciplinary approach is appropriate for audiences from a range of disciplines and professions, from geologists, conservationists, and land-use planners to architects and developers. Urban Geomorphology not only transcends disciplines, but also covers varied spatial-temporal frameworks and presents a diverse set of approaches and solutions to human impacts and geomorphological hazards within urban landscapes. Features a cross-disciplinary perspective, highlighting the importance of the geosciences to environmental science, engineering, and public policy Focuses on the built environment as the location of concentrated human impacts and change Provides an international scope, including case studies from urban areas around the world

In 1991 the mosque at Ayodhya in India was demolished by Hindu fundamentalists who claim that it stood on the birthplace of a legendary Hindu hero. During recent conflicts in former Yugoslavia, ethnic groups destroyed mosques and churches to eliminate evidence of long-term settlement by other communities. Over successive centuries, however, a single building in Cordoba functioned as a mosque, a church and a synagogue. The Roman Emperor Diocletian's Palace in Split is occupied today by shops and residential apartments. What circumstances have lead to the survival and reinterpretation of some monuments, but the destruction of others? This work asks whether the idea of world heritage is an essential mechanism for the protection of the world's cultural and natural heritage, or whether it subjugates a diversity of cultural traditions to specifically Western ideas. How far is it acceptable for one group of people to comment upon, or intercede in, the way in which another community treats the remains which it claims as its own? What are the responsibilities of multinational corporations and non-governmental organisations operating in the Developing World? Who actually owns the past: the landowner, indigenous people, the State or humankind?