NHSF Blog: What is Heritage Science? – Reflections on British Science Week 2026
In this month's blog, Annie Lane takes a look at the Discovering Heritage Science webinar series and reflects on its potential to introduce heritage science to a wider audience.
British Science Week 2026 brought some wonderful opportunities for heritage science engagement. This year’s theme is ‘Curiosity: What’s Your Question?”, encouraging exploration and discovery in STEM. The National Trust and Icon collaborated on a webinar series, aptly titled Discovering Heritage Science: What It Is and Why It Matters, supported by British Science Week, RICHeS, and AHRC.
Heritage science professionals at a range of organisations came together to share their expertise and introduce their projects from around the world and throughout time, from The Courtauld Institute’s study of pigments in a sixth-century grotto along the Silk Road (the extraordinary Mogao Caves at Dunhuang) to film preservation and restoration at the British Film Institute.
As a reflection on the stories shared in these webinars, some key quotes can help shape our answers to the questions: what is heritage science, and why does it matter?