Excavations at Back Lane produced a large number of waterlogged organics. Overall, 96 pieces of wood, 53 pieces of textile and 253 pieces of leather have been sent for conservation.
The textiles are air-dried after careful washing and documentation. The leather and wood require a more interventive treatment. After cleaning and documentation, the worked leather items are soaked in a solution of glycerol, which helps to support the leather and prevent dimensional change when it is freeze dried. With this method, the objects are dried from frozen, greatly reducing the shrinkage and warping that occurs during normal 'air-drying.' The wooden items are soaked in a solution of polyethylene glycol, a synthetic wax, and then freeze dried.
Treatment on the wood and leather artefacts from this excavation began in June 2000 and was completed in July 2001.
Objects of interest
Woven Textile 96E300:670:16 This piece of textile consists of several woven fragments. Of particular interest is the combination of plain and herringbone weave patterns sewn together. In addition, both felt and wool were chosen as the fabric base. Once recovered, the textile was heavily soiled and vulnerable to fraying. The treatment of the textile began with washings in deionized water and further cleaning with cotton wool swabs dampened with ethanol. The piece was then air-dried. To strengthen the fibres and prevent further fraying, the pieces of textile were consolidated with a weak methyl cellulose and glycerol solution and later humidified. To enable the textile to be handled and displayed safely, the pieces were sewn onto a padded mount support.
Woven Rope 96E300:613:44 The rope fragments recovered from Back Lane posed special conservation problems. This particular piece of rope was in four separate sections that would have been held together with a single knot. The pieces were extremely fragmentary and in the process of unravelling. A microscopic analysis identified the rope fibres as plant based, due to the appearance of large bast cells. The rope was washed with soft brushes under deionized water and air-dried. Further mechanical cleaning with dental tools and cotton wool swabs dampened with ethanol was also necessary. To prevent the rope from unravelling, the pieces were consolidated with a methyl cellulose solution.
d documentation, the worked leather items are soaked in a solution of glycerol, which helps to support the leather and prevent dimensional change when it is freeze dried. With this method, the objects are dried from frozen, greatly reducing the shrinkage and warping that occurs during normal 'air-drying.' The wooden items are soaked in a solution of polyethylene glycol, a synthetic wax, and then freeze dried. 
This piece of textile consists of several woven fragments. Of particular interest is the combination of plain and herringbone weave patterns sewn together. In addition, both felt and wool were chosen as the fabric base. Once recovered, the textile was heavily soiled and vulnerable to fraying. The treatment of the textile began with washings in deionized water and further cleaning with cotton wool swabs dampened with ethanol. The piece was then air-dried. To strengthen the fibres and prevent further fraying, the pieces of textile were consolidated with a weak methyl cellulose and glycerol solution and later humidified. To enable the textile to be handled and displayed safely, the pieces were sewn onto a padded mount support. 
The rope fragments recovered from Back Lane posed special conservation problems. This particular piece of rope was in four separate sections that would have been held together with a single knot. The pieces were extremely fragmentary and in the process of unravelling. A microscopic analysis identified the rope fibres as plant based, due to the appearance of large bast cells. The rope was washed with soft brushes under deionized water and air-dried. Further mechanical cleaning with dental tools and cotton wool swabs dampened with ethanol was also necessary. To prevent the rope from unravelling, the pieces were consolidated with a methyl cellulose solution.