News & Projects
August 2024
With most arable land now harvested areas have opened up for surveying, although typically the weather has turned very wet.
Summer projects involved further research of early wireless sites with visits to Marconi's Lizard Wireless Station and Poldhu Wireless Station. In addition, documentary research of the Banbury Imperial Wireless Chain receiving site was carried out ahead of an article for Banbury Museum.
For anyone interested in early wireless sites, which are an ongoing research theme for us, we have a small number of signed copies of Larry Bennett's "Portishead Radio" for £10 +p&p and "The Marconi Beam Wireless Stations of Somerset" for £14 +p&p, contact us on info@archaeological-surveys.co.uk.
See Devizes Wireless Station (archaeological-surveys.co.uk) Wroughton Wireless Receiving Station (archaeological-surveys.co.uk)
Cheers, Dave Sabin
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.