Our clients include heritage organisations, museums, regional councils and private individuals throughout Britain. Our conservators are professionally qualified and adhere to ICON Professional Standards and Ethics.
Our conservation laboratories are fully equipped to undertake all aspects of conservation of archaeological material, historic and social history objects. We have facilities for the freeze-drying of waterlogged materials and for X-radiography of artefacts.
We employ a wide range of pre-treatment recording techniques, including high-resolution photography and laser scanning. Our specialist analysis services are wide-ranging and varied.
We can provide advice and guidance on conservation management planning, collections care, environmental monitoring and pest management and work with our clients to develop emergency preparedness, disaster response and recovery plans for historic buildings and collections.
We currently hold the Historic Environment Scotland conservation call-off contract and have done so for over 25 years. We provided Industrial Museums Scotland with conservation support and services for the Powering Our People project (Go Industrial).
AOC is a Registered Archaeological Organisation (RAO) through the Chartered Institute for Archaeologists (CIfA). We hold ISO 9001:2015 accreditation, an independent verification that all of our internal management systems conform to international standards of quality project and financial management. We are also NEBOSH accredited and members of SAFE Contractor.
Archaeological Conservation
We are fully equipped to undertake all aspects of archaeological conservation, investigation and stabilisation. Our services include:
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X-radiography
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Vacuum freeze drying
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Airbrasion
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Microscopy
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Assessment
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Stabilisation
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Treatment
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Conservation for display
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Documentation
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Training in field techniques (packing, retrieval of finds, micro-excavation)
Collections Care
We have experience in providing many aspects of Collections Care:
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Condition survey
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Environmental monitoring
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Integrated Pest Management
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Preventive conservation
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Training in collections care
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Emergency preparedness
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Disaster response and recovery
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Freeze drying of flood damaged collections, books and paper items
Community Heritage Projects
We regularly work with Community groups to provide expertise, guidance and support with their Heritage projects:
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Conservation Management Plans
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Conservation advice
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Conservation training for volunteers
Object Conservation
We have experience with a great variety of material types to undertaken object conservation:
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Arms and armour
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Ceramics
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Glass
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Leather
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Metals
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Social history
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Wood
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Modern materials
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Industrial objects (small)
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Transport and technology
Biography
Gretel Evans ACR
With over 25 years’ experience, Gretel has worked on multiple significant conservation projects including the creation of Museum of Scotland and Scottish National War Museum. Later with Glasgow Museums, she was a lead member of the conservation team involved in the creation of the award-winning Riverside Museum. Subsequently, Gretel has worked in Antarctica as part of the Ross Sea Heritage Restoration Project.
As well as practical conservation work, Gretel has lectured to MA Textile Conservation students at Glasgow University on topics such as Pest Management, and Conservation in Practise.
She has experience of on-site conservation: using specialist lifting techniques during the excavation of a Viking warrior burial to recover fragile artefacts; recovering fragile ceramics and textiles from Bronze Age cists; recently recovering 2 Iron Age wheels from a crannog site.
Gretel has been an Accredited Conservator-Restorer since 2005 and now acts as a Specialist Advisor for the Professional Accreditation of Conservator-Restorer’s scheme administered by ICON. She also undertakes collections care audits of small museums for the Association of Independent Museums Collections Care Audit Scheme.