Archaeologist excavating mosaic next to foundation piles — Pile wall impacts on a Roman Mosaic, Gresham Street, London © MOLA

Pile wall impacts on a Roman Mosaic, Gresham Street, London © MOLA

Preservation in Situ

Preservation in situ is the term used to refer to the conservation of an archaeological asset in its original location. It can describe situations when a site is preserved as part of a development scheme, but also refers to the long-term management of wetland archaeological sites.

Critical to the success of any preservation in situ scheme is that the below-ground environment is understood fully, particularly before construction or land-use change begins. Where development does take place over archaeological sites every effort should be made to minimise the harm to the significance of the site. This is explained in more detail in the guidance below.

A long old stone wall with some brick sections. In the background, part of a modern building behind it is showing between tree canopies.

PARIS6 Conference

Historic England will host the Preserving Archaeological Remains in Situ (PARIS) conference in May 2026 in London.

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Preserving Archaeological Remains

Published 8 November 2016

Guidance on how to preserve archaeological sites affected by development or other land-use change.

Piling and Archaeology

Published 19 March 2019

This guidance note provides information on piling types, impacts, and solutions for sustainable foundation design and is illustrated by case studies.

Land Contamination and Archaeology

Published 1 February 2017

This guidance raises awareness of the need to consider archaeology during land contamination assessment and management.

Preservation in Situ

PARIS6 Conference

Next steps

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