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Collections
Management
Tees
Archaeology aims to provide a continuous programme
of collections and archive management and to increase
the accessibility of the archaeological resources
held by the service.
The
large numbers of excavations that have taken place
over the years have led to the accumulation of
a vast body of archaeological material. This mainly
consists of the actual artefacts found during
excavations. Everything from the smallest sherd
of pot to the heaviest millstone has to be kept
for future reference. Archaeologists also make
detailed records of their excavations. This leads
to a large body of paperwork, maps, plans and
photographs building up. Where it is not desirable
to place archaeological material on display it
must be ordered, kept safe and stored in such
as way as to prevent its physical decay so that
it is available to future researchers.
Tees
Archaeology acts as a 'clearing house' whilst
objects and archive from excavations are conserved,
researched and published. The items are then deposited
in a local museum. Tees Archaeology does however
collect material for educational use and are responsible
for the long-term curation of material from Stockton-on-Tees
on behalf of their Museum Service.
Our
finds store and processing area is housed in an
interesting building known as 'the shelter'. This
is a former World War II command bunker sited
in the grounds of Sir William Gray House, Hartlepool.
Whilst providing a suitable storage area for archaeological
material this use also fulfils a practical conservation
objective in keeping the shelter in active use
and preventing it becoming abandoned and falling
in to disrepair. The shelter has full environmental
controls and has a roller racking system of moveable
shelving. Paper and photographic archives are
stored in a dedicated room in the main office
suite at Sir William Gray House. The Service has
a Collections Management Policy and a Disaster
Plan.
Key
items in our permanent collection include the
finds from the Norton
Pagan Anglo-Saxon cemetery and the material
from Thorpe
Thewles Iron Age Settlement. We also hold
a quantity of material acquired from excavations
across Teesside from the 1970s onwards.
If
you are researching a particular site please make
us your first point of call. If we don’t
hold the archive you are looking for then we can
almost certainly point you in the right direction.
Material
held with us in our archives is accessible to
researchers by appointment during office hours
on weekdays only. Please contact us if you would
like to make an appointment to view any of the
collections or discuss their use for teaching
or exhibition purposes.
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