ABSTRACT
England is renowned for the richness of its archaeological heritage: a tangible and often highly evocative link with our ancient prehistoric past and a unique source of information that has the potential to transform our understanding of the lives of our ancestors and how they adapted to and changed their environment. Such remains often form significant features in our surroundings but are also valuable as resources for research, education, leisure, and tourism and for their influence in forging identity and a spirit of place. Rock-art monuments provide a link to our ancient cultural pasts; they possess seeming permanence but are sensitive to their environment. Rapid changes because of anthropogenic land use and climatic variation will cause damage and decay over time. Knowledge of the characteristics of the host rock is vital to inform decisions to ameliorate the impact of decay processes, delaying the inevitable progression of paedogenesis. Effective diagnosis of present conditions is the first step towards conservation, which can then be followed by intervention or conservation measures. Cultural heritage stone conservation more commonly occurs in the built environment subject to urban conditions rather than erosion in the natural environment. The bulk of stone conservation research has been on structures rather than land-forms and needs therefore to be adapted for landforms physically altered by humans.
