Buildings Archaeology Group evening lecture

Description

The CIfA Buildings Archaeology Group are running a new series of evening specialist lectures that can focus on specific topics and themes to complement their series of lunchtime lectures.

This session is running from 18:30 - 19:30 BST on Thursday 20 November 2025. 

This session will feature a talk by Dr Timothy Meek entitled Lime finishes – what’s the point: An archaeological and scientific approach to understanding the cultural and physical importance of lime coats within the context of a changing climate. 

As a discipline archaeology seeks to understand the human experience in all its detail, however in this paper, my aim is to demonstrate that in the pursuit of archaeological data we have dismissed a significant part of the archaeological record – lime finishes. We have made this error as a direct result of eighteenth-century Romanticism and nineteenth-century religious and philosophical dogma and there is a price to pay for not recognising the importance of lime coats – the loss of the very fabric we value and a view of the past without nuance. Moreover, as our climate changes and the energy crisis deepens, we are unable to significantly improve building performance and thereby retain the buildings we value.    

Using novel survey methodologies and an experiment that examines the impact of external/internal pressure differences in storm conditions, I demonstrate that lime finishes were near universal in the period prior to the long eighteenth century and that they offer an evidence-based approach to enhanced building performance, thermal comfort and the retention of archaeological fabric that is infinite. But I also argue that we don’t need to see those archaeological remains daily and that archaeology is a process not a finish.    

Additional info

Our evening lectures go above and beyond the bitesize format of our lunchtime talks, offering attendees the chance to explore a single theme or case study in greater depth. Each session provides more time for discussion, detailed insights and the opportunity to engage with others on specific aspects of buildings archaeology. Whether you’re looking to expand your specialist knowledge or connect with peers, these evening events are designed to be both informative and engaging.

This session counts as 1 hour of CPD if it meets objectives on your personal development plan. This meeting will take place on Teams; the link for the meeting will be sent in the confirmation email.

Event pricing

This event is free for all CIfA members to attend; this includes CIfA Buildings Group supporters. There is a fee of £5  for all non-members of CIfA.

If you are a not a CIfA or Group member you can become a Group Supporter for an annual fee of £15 to attend this and any future digital bitesize CPD and networking event run by the Group for free. More information about becoming a Group supporter can be found on the Groups webpage or you can submit your details and payment information to join any groups immediately via this form.