The title 'The Future of Restoration' implies that there is a future lor restoration. Putting this even more strongly, the future of restoration is becoming increasingly important. Not only are monuments our witnesses to the past but these witnesses have much to tell about the organisation of life of work in the past, about how structures were built and about kinds of techniques and materials that were used. Lessons have often been learnt in the hard way because many buildings have been lost owing to a lack of knowledge about the forces and climatic influences to which they were subjected. That so much has survived may amaze us. This is the result of cumulative knowledge, passed on from master to pupil and beyond, and it has led to the beautiful buildings that we can still treasure and enjoy.