From the beginning it proved necessary to preserve and restore the monuments that were being uncovered. A number of parts of the Palace were restored in and considerable use was made of reinforced concrete in the work. The parts of the restoration that represent timber frames and other wooden structures were formerly painted yellow, but were later re painted with a colour conventionally representing wood (a deep rust red). In a number of places, copies of the famous frescoes discovered, were installed. This method of restoration has received much criticism since it introduced materials foreign to Minoan architecture. Some scholars also dispute some of the conclusions of the pioneer British excavator.

Evans was convinced that most of the damage to the ancient palace was caused by earthquakes, much like the one he experienced on the site in 1926:

my own mind was full of past earthquakes when . . .the shocks began . . . the movement resembling a ship in a storm. A dull sound rose from the ground like the muffled sound of an angry bull...

Evans is constantly admired for his intuition, his creative imagination and his profound scholarship. It is to him that we owe the discovery of the marvellous Minoan Civilisation, which until his time was only dimly reflected in Greek Mythology. His endeavours brought him international fame and recognition, and a bust of him stands on the south side of the west court of the palace.

After his death in 1941 responsibility for the excavations at Knossos was assumed by the British School of Archaeology.^[29]