25th August 2011, 03:13 PM
... and just to expand on that, if a curator suspects that work is being carried out that isn't compliant with the brief (and industry standards, which the brief usually obliges compliance with anyway) then they have no recourse to complain except by going to site and checking, asking to see the records, going over the report with a fine-toothed comb etc. until they find evidence to state that the work is not compliant; e.g. "What is this stratigraphy I can see in the baulk? Why is there all this pottery on the spoilheap? Why don't the features I photographed appear on the site plan?" etc. Then they might be in a position to recommend action by their planning colleagues or, if the archaeological sub-contractor is an RAO, complain to the IfA.
In other words, curators need to put in a lot of hard work that they don't have time for, because they (and planning guidance) are the only defense we have against declining standards.
In other words, curators need to put in a lot of hard work that they don't have time for, because they (and planning guidance) are the only defense we have against declining standards.