Monitoring and Management Options in the Preservation of Urban Waterlogged Deposits,Nantwich, UK

A baseline survey in 2007 characterized the physical and chemical conditions for preservation within waterlogged remains at Nantwich. Installation of eighteen dipwells has allowed a five-year monitoring programme to be conducted from 2011. Two add-on projects supplemented this monitoring programme by examining the different methods for redox measurement, and for soil moisture measurement using Time Domain Reflectometry (TDR).

Initial results show two main zones of preservation, with reducing conditions attributed to location of the deposits in the floodplain, and a second zone uphill with more variable conditions for preservation. This study shows that sediment-coring programmes combined with dipwell installations can provide useful data to assess and monitor in situ preservation conditions, which can help to formulate management strategies for conservation of waterlogged archaeological deposits. This paper focuses on the efficacy of the methodology, referencing in particular comparative monitoring techniques and lists a series of recommendations for future studies.     

Field survey and excavation of two linear wooden features at Hooper’s Ground,Westhay Heath,Somerset, 1992

Abstract

While much is known of prehistoric exploitation of the Somerset Levels and Moors,¹ extensive peat extraction across the Moors since the early post-medieval period has effectively removed most of the historic peats and consequently much the archaeology of the later periods. It is now believed that peat was continuing to form in the area until the end of the first millennium AD,² and though little is known, medieval and post-medieval features will invariably have cut into these and earlier peats. B. Coles and J. Coles, Sweet Track to Glastonbury (London, 1986). M. Cox, ‘Archaeology in the Somerset Levels and Moors 1992’ in M. Bell (ed.), Severn Estuary Levels Research Committee Annual Report 1992, 63-68.

In 1991, two similar linear brushwood features were noted, during routine archaeological monitoring of areas subject to peat extraction, in an area known as ‘Hooper’s Ground’ between the villages of Westhay and Burtle, some three miles west of Glastonbury. Revealed as a consequence of peat extraction, a short programme of survey and excavation undertaken in 1992 demonstrated that they were contemporary structures dating from around 1700. Their function is presently unknown, although it is considered that they may reflect land restoration for agricultural use post-dating earlier efforts at peat extraction.     

Medieval Architecture Illustrated from Illuminated Manuscripts

Abstract

Following examination of a number of post-medieval perceptions of Peak, or Peveril, Castle in Derbyshire, the topographical setting of the castle is discussed. It is suggested that late-12th-century literature can give clues as to the way in those who built and used the castle in the 12th and 13th centuries might have appreciated the site.     

Hydrological monitoring of an alluviated landscape in the lower Great Ouse valley at Over,Cambridgeshire: the quarry restoration phase

Abstract

This paper sets out the results of the last phase of the hydrological monitoring programme conducted at the Hanson Over quarry in Cambridgeshire, during the first full year (March 2004 to March 2005) in which the area of the first phase of gravel extraction was reinstated as reed beds under the management of the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds. It follows on from the studies of the pre-extraction and extraction phases, both published previously in Environmental Archaeology (French et al. 1999; French 2004). It is reassuring to report that the groundwater table in the formerly quarried area and the landscape immediately upstream and downstream has ostensibly been restored to pre-extraction levels, along with a return to previous pH, conductivity, redox and dissolved oxygen values in the groundwater system. Significantly, the continuing gradual fall in groundwater levels observed beyond 500 m from the quarry face for a distance of at least 1·5 km was seen to be arrested, although these had not quite recovered to pre-extraction levels downstream to the northeast. In addition, the soil moisture within the alluvial overburden and the buried palaeosol has also almost returned to pre-extraction levels. This indicates that the clay bunding of the formerly quarried areas acts as an effective barrier against further water abstraction, both inside and outside the sealed area, and allows the natural aquifer to begin to return to its previous levels of influence.

The study dramatically indicates that both the mineral operator, drainage authority and archaeological curator need to collaborate from the outset of any quarrying operation to ensure the continuing maintenance of the groundwater and soil moisture system regardless of how well the combined gravel and water abstraction processes are conducted, and how successful the post-quarry conservation is. As every site's landscape dynamics contribute to its individual hydrological setting, each case is different and requires tailored monitoring programmes to protect the archaeological and palaeo-environmental record from the adverse effects of water abstraction associated with development schemes.     

Morgawr: an experimental Bronze Age‐type sewn‐plank craft based on the Ferriby boats

This paper reports on the construction of a full‐scale Bronze Age‐type sewn‐plank boat based on the Ferriby boats. The boat, which was named Morgawr, was constructed in the National Maritime Museum Cornwall in Falmouth, England, during 2012 and the first months of 2013, as part of a larger exhibition in the museum. This paper provides the background and context of the project, describes the process of building the craft, and reflects in particular on differences between Morgawr and the ‘hypothetical reconstruction of a complete sewn‐plank boat’ published in 1990 by Ted Wright and John Coates which formed the basis for this project.     

HMQS Mosquito: the rediscovery and identification of Queensland's first warship

In 2009, the remnants of Her Majesty's Queensland Ship Mosquito, a 2nd‐class torpedo‐boat built in 1883, were relocated. Purchased by the colonial government of Australia in response to heightened tensions between Great Britain and Imperial Russia, Mosquito was assigned to Queensland's capital, Brisbane, where it had a largely uneventful career. Following removal from active duty it was stripped and abandoned on the foreshore of a tributary of the Brisbane River. This paper discusses Mosquito's historical background, and chronicles the rediscovery of the vessel, and the archaeological investigation and identification of its remains. © 2010 The Author     

Heritage Monitoring Scouts: Engaging the Public to Monitor Sites at Risk Across Florida

ABSTRACT

Along Florida’s nearly 13,000 km of shoreline, nearly 4000 archaeological sites and over 600 recorded historic cemeteries are at risk from climate change impacts including coastal erosion and a 2-metre rise in sea level. In 2016, the Florida Public Archaeology Network (FPAN) created the Heritage Monitoring Scouts (HMS Florida) programme to engage the public in monitoring sites at risk. The programme grew quickly during the first year of operation to include 233 volunteers who submitted 312 monitoring forms. The programme exists beyond the singular act of a volunteer reporting site conditions; across Florida, varied combinations of local partnerships present unique opportunities for programmes, for example, the pilot program at the Guana Tolomato Matanzas National Estuarine Research Reserve. Preliminary outcomes from the first year of HMS Florida and the pilot indicate the programme is effective in public engagement and a powerful management tool for tracking change to sites over time.     

Tom Licence,What the Victorians Threw Away. Oxford: Oxbow Books, 2015. 108 pp., 90 illus. £9.99. isbn 9781782979756

Abstract

Beehive coke ovens in Derbyshire were used to provide fuel for local blast furnaces, for the Sheffield crucible steel industry and for railway locomotive fuel. Members of the Industrial Archaeology Section of Derbyshire Archaeological Society have made a careful survey of four ranges of beehive coke ovens at Ramshaw, near Unstone, formerly the site of Ramshaw Colliery.     

Summerley Colliery Coke Ovens

Abstract

In the late nineteenth century there were over a thousand beehive coke ovens operating in Derbyshire, many of these concentrated in a small area between Dronfield and Chesterfield in the north east of the county. The best surviving examples are in the double range of 48 ovens on the former Summerley Colliery site. This is a scheduled monument, and is probably the largest intact range of beehive coke ovens in the UK, but the structure is deteriorating and extensive remedial action will be required for it to be preserved. The Industrial Archaeology Section of the Derbyshire Archaeological Society have carried out a survey which it is hoped will prompt the formulation of a plan for the future conservation of the site.     

Take the Right Decision Everybody

Abstract

The archaeological deposits in medieval towns are among the most important and distinctive heritage monuments in Norway. At the same time they are among the more challenging phenomena confronting heritage management authorities, municipal planners, and property owners/developers alike, especially in relation to building and infrastructure projects. The modern settlement has developed on top of medieval and younger deposits which means that not only are they an irreplaceable depository of historical information, but they also form a significant part of the modern town’s physical foundation.

Since 2002 the Directorate for Cultural Heritage in Norway (Riksantikvaren) has been funding systematic monitoring of archaeological deposits of the World Heritage Site Bryggen in Bergen. The monitoring programme consists of several approaches: archaeological assessment of the deposits state of preservation, biochemical investigation of preservation conditions within the deposits, hydrogeological mapping of the water table, water flow, and other given parameters.

Continuous systematic monitoring by using testable, replicable methods and measures, data, and results acquire increased quality and validity. These in turn provide the cultural heritage management with a toolbox for making correct decisions and thereby allow the government’s preservation targets to be attained. But, most important, it guarantees the preservation of the ‘underground archives’ and at the same time allows the urban centres to develop.

This paper presents the knowledge developed through monitoring the Bryggen site as a basis for an official Norwegian standard covering archaeological, biochemical, and hydrogeological deposit investigations.     

The Great Hall of the Bishop's Palace at Hereford

Abstract

In the Summer of 2005 the authors directed the excavation of a flat stone setting with a boat-shaped central depression at Skamby, Kuddby parish, Östergötland, Sweden. The stone setting covered a small and poorly preserved boat inhumation, dated by the artefacts recovered to the early Viking period (9th century AD). This is the first excavation of a boat inhumation in the province of Östergötland. The paper reports on the excavations including the discovery of an exceptional collection of 23 amber gaming pieces, which provide a new perspective on Viking-period gaming. The data from this boat grave are considered in relation to the rest of the Skamby cemetery, which remains to be investigated. Judging from a topographical survey of the ridge surrounding the excavated area, and from metal-detector finds recovered from the surrounding fields, the Skamby cemetery appears to be a high-status burial ground divided into two zones, one comprised of boat inhumation graves, the other of circular stone settings likely to cover cremation graves. The results of the excavation lead to a revised picture of boat burial as an élite mortuary rite in southern Sweden during the late 1st millennium AD.     

Sørenga 7: the reconstruction of a 17th‐century boat from Oslo harbour

In 2006, during the Immersed Tunnel Project in the harbour of Oslo, Norway, a c.9.4 m‐long boat was discovered. The boat was found in the area historically known as Sørenga, and was named Sørenga 7, following six other finds in the area excavated from the early 1970s to the 1990s. The boat was documented digitally piece by piece, and a scale model was made in cardboard and polyamide. The deposition of the boat in the transition between the 17th and 18th centuries focuses attention on life in the early modern harbour of Christiania (Oslo).     

Gyptis and the Archaic Greek Sewn‐boat Technique

The archaic Greco‐Massaliote wreck Jules‐Verne 9 is a fully sewn boat with all the elements (planking and frames) assembled by ligatures. The remains of some stitches found in place allowed the system of ligatures, which is particularly sophisticated, to be precisely reproduced. This assembly system made of sewing and lashings was used during the construction of Gyptis, the sailing replica of the Jules‐Verne 9 wreck. The experience permitted many questions to be answered about the assembly process, function, and maintenance of the boat.     

In Situ Preservation and Monitoring of the James Matthews Shipwreck Site

Abstract

Over the past few decades, the archaeological community has been moving away from the more traditional methods of excavation and recovery of underwater cultural heritage towards a less intrusive management approach, essentially involving the preservation of sites in situ. This trend has been politically galvanized in Article 2, point 5 of the Convention on the Protection of the Underwater Cultural Heritage (), which states that ‘The preservation in-situ of underwater cultural heritage shall be considered as the ?rst option before allowing or engaging in any activities directed at this heritage’. Over the years, a number of different remediation strategies have been utilized in order to protect underwater cultural heritage sites in situ, and most of the techniques or combinations thereof involve reburial of sites. Reburial may be an appropriate means of stabilizing and decreasing the deterioration rate of a site, however, there needs to be a holistic approach to the study of the environment, before and after reburial, to gain a full understanding of the changes that are occurring on the site and determine the effectiveness of the technique.

In early 2000, the James Matthews, a copper-sheathed, wooden-hulled vessel wrecked in 1841 south of Fremantle, Western Australia, was identi?ed as being under considerable threat from increased site exposure due to a combination of natural near-shore sedimentary processes and industrial activity in the immediate area. An extensive on-site conservation survey was carried out to establish the state of preservation of the wreck and provide information regarding the physico-chemical and biological nature of the environment prior to the implementation of any mitigation strategy. In 2003 it was con?rmed that further exposure of the site was occurring and devising a management plan was of paramount importance.

Since this time a number of different reburial techniques have been trialled on the site and these include sand bags of differing material composition, polymeric shade cloth, arti?cial sea grass mats made from polyvinyl chloride bunting, and the use of interlocking medium density polyethylene ‘crash barrier’ units in a cofferdam arrangement to con?ne deposited sand. The geological, physico-chemical, and microbiological changes in the burial environments have been monitored over this time. Furthermore, the broader scale, near-shore sedimentary processes affecting the site are being assessed in order to establish the reasons behind the continuing sediment loss. In situ preservation of the iron ?ttings by cathodic protection has also been included in these ?eld trials. In this paper the results from these experiments will be summarized. This information will be used to ?nalize the design of the full-scale in situ preservation strategy for the site and assist in establishing a post-reburial monitoring programme that will measure the success of the adopted remediation technique.     

Cultural Heritage and Communities Coexisting: Public Archaeology in Cambodia, 1999–2009

Abstract

This paper outlines the background, planning and execution of a programme of public education around the archaeological site of Banteay Kdei in Cambodia. This was aimed at interesting and involving local communities in the research carried out at the site, and providing opportunities for further engagement. The programme was conducted within the established Japanese model of gensetsu, organized educational visits to working archaeological sites. The paper discusses the practicalities of establishing gensetsu at Banteay Kdei, including bureaucratic and practical obstacles, and the rewards of working with local schools.     

A Royal Boat Burial and Watercraft Tableau of Egypt's 12th Dynasty (c.1850 BCE) at South Abydos

Excavations at Abydos, Egypt, during 2014–2016 have revealed the remains of a boat burial dating to the reign of Senwosret III (c.1850 BCE). The boat burial occurred inside a specially prepared, subterranean vaulted building. Surviving elements of planking appear to derive from a nearly 20 m‐long boat that was buried intact but later dismantled for reuse of the wood. The vessel may belong to a group of royal funerary boats associated with the nearby tomb of Senwosret III. Incised on to the interior walls of the boat building is an extensive tableau including 120 surviving drawings of pharaonic watercraft. A unique deposit of pottery vessels was found associated with the ceremonial burial of this royal boat.     

Chatsworth Street Cutting,Part of the Original Terminus of the Liverpool and Manchester Railway

Abstract

Recent surveys of textile mills in Yorkshire, Greater Manchester and East Cheshire have laid the groundwork for future study in their respective areas. All three have necessarily referred back to precedents set in eighteenth century Derbyshire, where water power was first successfully applied to the manufacture of both silk and cotton. Derbyshire retains an important group of early cotton mills, most of them distributed along the River Derwent and its tributaries. Recent measured surveys of five of the most significant early mills and of a number of related sites by RCHME's Threatened Buildings Sections, supplemented by photographic coverage of further sites over many years, have provided a core of information on which the present article is largely based. The article concentrates on the surviving physical remains of the cotton industry, but draws also on documentary and other evidence for vanished structures.