News & Projects
November 2019
Exceptionally wet conditions so far this Autumn have produced dreadful ground conditions across much of the UK, areas of open soil can be extremely difficult to survey and data sets may be unacceptably noisy due to erratic movement and soil accumulating on footwear and equipment. The latter is often associated with ground contamination by so called 'green waste' where organic material derived from garden waste has been spread across fields. This material is often not properly screened for rubbish such as plastics, wire and miscellaneous metal objects which are also spread with the waste. Some of these particles are highly magnetic and can easily stick to footwear and wheels resulting in magnetic disturbance ranging from very low to very high and potentially obscuring archaeological features.
A geophysical survey was undertaken within a single arable field at East Kennett Manor Farm near Marlborough, at the request of landowners Mr and Mrs James Cameron. The survey was carried out over the site of a scheduled bowl barrow, 200m east of East Kennett long barrow forming part of a barrow cemetery (Monument No: 1014036 (SM 28103)) under the Environmental Stewardship Higher Level Scheme, which aims to protect the underlying archaeology within the field.
A detailed magnetometer survey surrounding the Neolithic long barrow known as West Barrow, at Leighterton in Gloucestershire, was undertaken by Archaeological Surveys Ltd. The survey was commissioned by Gloucestershire County Council Archaeology Service as part of works aiming to prevent further damage to the monument by badgers. The results revealed a number of large amorphous quarry pits surrounding the barrow. Two ring ditches have also been located to the south of the barrow, with some evidence for internal features and their small diameters (approximately 8-10m) suggesting they may relate to former round houses.
Archaeological Surveys Ltd was commissioned by Wiltshire Council Archaeology Service to undertake a geophysical survey of Lugbury Long Barrow near Nettleton, Wiltshire. The survey was requested due to the continued impact of ploughing on the barrow which is designated a Scheduled Monument (SM 12290). The work has been carried out under the Monument Management Scheme funded by English Heritage.
Excavations close to Truckle Hill Roman Villa in Wiltshire have revealed a remote bath house perched on the edge of a wooded valley. There appears to be a number of phases to the building, with incredible preservation of some of the walls due to hillwash debris that has buried the site with up to 2m of soil. Archaeological Surveys Ltd have carried out numerous research surveys across the site with interesting results, and we were commissioned to carry out geophysics and LiDAR analysis across the main villa site and surrounding area.
Unsurprisingly, the village of Castle Combe in Wiltshire owes part of its name to an unusual motte and bailey castle situated on a spur of limestone close to the village. Although no excavation has taken place at the site, it is generally thought that most of the earthworks and masonry date to the 'anarchy period' of the twelfth century.