Rescue excavation report on an area of two islands which became the focus for the Roman occupation of Southwark. Evidence for leatherworking, leadworking and the processing of animal carcasses suggest an area of waterfront industry under the Romans, with traces of a small shrine and a timber structure for storing amphorae also discovered. Constant attempts to keep the area drained appear from drainage ditches dug in both the 2nd and 5th Century.

Excavations at Hunt's House, Guy's Hospital

History

Taylor-Wilson, Robin

Ancient Civilizations

Pre-Construct Archaeology

Excavations at Ashford Prison, just to the east of Staines, uncovered the intriguing story of that part of the landscape from the end of the last Ice Age. Flowing through the site was a tributory of the River Ash, itself a tributory of the Thames. It attracted the attentions of transient groups of hunter-gatherers and later a Neolithic ceremonial monument was built adjacent to it, on a slight promontory of higher land. During the Bronze Age the site was incorporated into an extentsive system of fields and boundaries stretching right across the west London gravel terraces. Geared towards the control of livestock, perhaps brought to graze on the lush pastureland of the valleys, the fields signify the start of intensive and perhaps centrally controlled agricultural production. The first evidence of permanent settlement found dated to the Iron Age when a series of roundhouses, pits, and other structures were built next to the old monument, perhaps in reverence to it. The Roman period saw the end of settlement and the site reverted to exclusively agricultural use, a role that it played up until the 19th century. Subsequently an orphanage and then a prison occupied the site. These were demolished in 2002 for the construction of Bronzefield Prison, thus enabling the current excavations to be undertaken.

Unlocking the Landscape: Archaeological Investigations at Ashford Prison, Middlesex

Politics & Social Sciences

Carew, Tim

Archaeology

A report on fieldwork carried out in a little investigated area of London just outside the city wall. The area known as Moorfields was waterlogged throughout the Middle Ages, only being reclaimed in the 16th century. Finds include evidence of Roman settlement up to the construction of the wall in the 3rd century, and evidence of the medieval use of the area for leisure activities, including ice-skating and for dumping waste. The site was used for pottery production in the 16th and 17th centuries following its reclamation.

Reclaiming the Marsh: Archaeological Excavations at Moor House, City of London (Pre-construct Archaeology Monograph)

Butler, J.

Substantial Roman remains were recognised in the area of Queen Victoria Street as early as 1841, by the antiquarian Charles Roach Smith who recorded 'a wall of extraordinary strength', incorporating fragments of sculpted and moulded stone and marble. A watching brief carried out in the 1960s and a series of excavations on adjacent sites had revealed two major phases of Roman monumental masonry, the latter forming part of a vast building complex extending for over 150m along the river frontage, linked to the construction of the 3rd-century riverside wall. The area remained peripheral to the Roman City until late in the 1st century, and subsequent development was influenced by its challenging topographic location; the ground sloped steeply to the edge of the Thames and spring lines made for frequently-flooded terrain, traversed by natural channels, a situation which was repeatedly to affect attempts to develop the area. Recent development of the Salvation Army Headquarters building provided an opportunity for Pre-Construct Archaeology to carry out a series of excavations, augmenting previous investigations in the area. These have significantly advanced our understanding of the dating and form of the earlier complex. Much-modified over time, the river frontage was flanked by substantial apses with ambulatories between and further buildings extending to the north, terraced into the hillside. Vast foundations, piling and terracing associated with the later complex testify to continued attempts to control the steeply sloping and unstable ground, whilst the sheer size of the culverts incorporated into the masonry demonstrates the need for serious drainage. The new buildings included at least two temples of classical form; but these may never have been finished. The redevelopment also provided a rare opportunity to examine a sequence of medieval road surfaces and buildings at the junction of Thames Street and Lambeth Hill, including evidence for the Great Fire of 1666, which scorched the road surface and destroyed buildings north of Thames Street.

From Temples to Thames Street - 2000 Years of Riverside Development: Archaeological Excavations at the Salvation Army International Headquarters (Pre-Construct Archaeology Monograph)

Bradley, Timothy

Europe

This volume presents the story of 2000 years of occupation around Southwark Cathedral as demonstrated by a combination of building recording and archaeological excavation. The story begins in the first years of Roman occupation, with the construction of a road heading southwest from a crossing point of the Thames, close to modern London Bridge. The story of the foundation, construction and subsequent history of the medieval priory of St Mary Overie is then explored and presented in the form of a tour through the Cathedral and out into the claustral buildings. Throughout the post-medieval period industry spread along the south bank of the Thames, encroaching on the church and its environs, which suffered periods of neglect, including 16th-century use of the retro-choir as a bakery and pigsty. By the early 17th century a Delftware kiln had been constructed adjacent to the north transept of the church and the kilns, their products and methods of manufacture are all presented in detail. The volume concludes with the architects vision for the future of the Cathedral, which also provides a guide to surviving archaeological remains on display around the Cathedral, including those of the kiln.

A New Millennium at Southwark Cathedral: Investigations into the First Two Thousand Years (Pre-Construct Archaeology Monograph)

Cohen, Nathalie

Divers, David

Mayo, Chris

Cohen, Natalie

Jarrett, Chris

Excavations at two sites in the southern suburbs of the modern industrial town of Scunthorpe, originally a rural landscape with a scatter of villages overlooking the River Trent and its tributary, Bottesford Beck. Finds of flint tools show that humans had been around throughout prehistory; by the late Iron Age the Burringham Road site probably lay at the southern limit of a settlement, and for much of the Roman period there is evidence of various activities, mostly agriculture-related, and including several corn-driers; perhaps there was a villa nearby. The Baldwin Avenue site shows evidence of a Middle Saxon settlement with notable artefacts being three large lead vessels of a type that seems peculiar to the region. The title of the report reflects the fact that these two sites are peripheral to larger complexes, but nevertheless provide good information about them.

On the Boundaries of Occupation: Excavations at Burringham Road, Scunthorpe and Baldwin Avenue, Bottesford, North Lincolnshire (Pre-construct Archaeology Monographs)

Proctor, Jennifer

Boyer, Peter

Today New Romney sits a couple of miles inland from the sea but, in common with many towns along this stretch of coast, was once a thriving seaport. Archaeological excavations here by Pre-Construct Archaeology identified evidence for medieval occupation, fishing and seafaring on the foreshore at the northeastern end of the town. This strand area was ravaged by storms, particularly during the 13th century and this is clearly demonstrated in the archaeological record. This publication presents the findings of these excavations but also provides a much broader historical background to the town and an exploration of its role as a Cinque Port, and its relationship with the strand area investigated, through contemporary sources and standing building evidence.

The Sea and the Marsh: The Medieval Cinque Port of New Romney Revealed Through Archaeological Excavations and Historical Research (Pre-Construct Archaeology Monograph)

Egan, Geoff

Draper, Gillian

Draper, Pamela

Meddens, Frank

Armitage, Philip

Beneath Drapers' Gardens, in what was once a damp and uninviting quarter of the Roman city of Londinium lies the buried valley of the Walbrook, home to some of the more unpleasant industries of the town, as well as some remarkable and unexpected finds, including a hoard of metal objects buried in a fourth century well. However, what really sets this site apart is both the extraordinary preservation of finds due to the particular soil conditions of the Walbrook Valley, and the sheer size of the area investigated. A near complete urban street with associated buildings spanning many years of the Roman occupation was uncovered. The land was purchased by the Drapers' Company in the mid 16th century and remained open gardens for the next 400 years, contributing to the amazing preservation on site. Secrets of the Gardens is a lavishly illustrated, full colour, popular interim account of the excavations, aimed at the general reader and published in advance of a fuller account in standard monograph format. It also includes sections on the Drapers' Company history and the story of the construction of the new building.

Secrets of the Gardens: Archaeologists Unearth the Lives of Roman Londoners at Drapers' Gardens

Butler, Jonathan

Excavations in 2002 by Pre-Construct Archaeology on two adjacent sites in Shadwell revealed an extensive late Romano-British settlement over a kilometre beyond the walls of Londinium on an escarpment overlooking the north bank of the Thames. The area's importance became apparent in the 1970s through the discovery of monumental masonry and 3rd-century settlement and burial practice. This volume presents the evidence for Roman Shadwell as revealed by these excavations and considers its place within the broader context of Londinium and its hinterland.

A Roman settlement and bath house at Shadwell: Excavations at Tobacco Dock and Babe Ruth restaurant, The Highway London (Pre-Construct Archaeology Monograph)

Douglas, Alistair

Gerrard, James

Sudds, Berni

This publication presents the results of archaeological investigations by Pre-Construct Archaeology at Laurel Farm to the south-east of Norfolk. An extraordinarily long and complex history of occupation and exploitation was revealed, dating back to the Lower Palaeolithic. The site was also visited in the Upper Palaeolithic by hunter-gatherer communities who used the shelter provided by the roots of an upturned tree to knap flint into blades and tools. Tree-throw hollows continued to be significant features in the landscape and, in the Early Neolithic, a remarkable deposit of pottery and flint was placed into a pair of adjacent hollows . Around 4,500 years ago, use of the area changed with the construction of a substantial ring-ditch, probably the remains of a ploughed-out round barrow. From the late Anglo-Saxon into the early Medieval period the area was used for the early stages of iron extraction and production - processes which have rarely been identified archaeologically. There is evidence that ore was quarried, washed and roasted to remove impurities. Mousehold Heath continued to be visited for its natural resources, with gravel quarries and brick kilns exploiting the natural clays, until pressures on agricultural production towards the end of the eighteenth century resulted in the enclosure of the landscape.Table of ContentsChapter 1: Background to the project 1.1 Site description and setting 1.2 Archaeological and historical background 1.3 Methodologies 1.4 Report structure Chapter 2: Phase 1 Natural deposits and Phase 2 Palaeolithic activity 2.1 The natural and Palaeolithic sequence 2.2 Late Glacial/early Post-glacial flintwork Chapter 3: Phase 3 Early Neolithic Activity 3.1 The Early Neolithic archaeological sequence 3.2 Early Neolithic flintwork 3.3 Early Neolithic pottery 3.4 Early Neolithic archaeobotanical analysis Chapter 4: Phase 4 Later Neolithic to Early Bronze Age activity 4.1 The Late Neolithic to Early Bronze Age sequence 4.2 Late Neolithic to Early Bronze Age flintwork 4.3 Late Neolithic to Early Bronze Age pottery  4.4 Stone Identification Chapter 5: Phase 5 Middle to Late Bronze Age activity 5.1 The Middle to Late Bronze Age archaeological sequence 5.2 Middle to Late Bronze Age flintwork  5.3 Middle to Late Bronze Age pottery 5.4 Stone identification 5.5 Analysis of Middle Bronze Age archaeobotanical remains Chapter 6: Phase 6 Middle to Late Iron Age activity 6.1 The Iron Age archaeological sequence 6.2 Iron Age pottery 6.3 Ironworking slag 6.4 Analysis of Iron Age archaeobotanical remains Chapter 7: Phase 7 Roman activity 7.1 The Roman archaeological sequence 7.2 Romano-British pottery 7.3 Romano-British small finds 7.4 Ironworking slag Chapter 8: Phase 8 Anglo-Saxon and early Medieval activity 8.1 The Anglo-Saxon archaeological sequence 8.2 Anglo-Saxon and early Medieval ironworking  8.3 Ironworking slag and industrial residues 8.4 Ironstone  8.5 Saxon pottery 8.6 Analysis of Anglo-Saxon and early Medieval archaeobotanical remains Chapter 9: Phase 9 Later Medieval and Post-Medieval activity 9.1 The later Medieval and Post-Medieval sequence 9.2 Medieval and Post-Medieval pottery  9.3 Medieval and Post-Medieval ceramic building material 9.4 Post-Medieval metal small finds  9.5 Clay tobacco pipe and glass Chapter 10: Discussion 10.1 Phase 2 Palaeolithic flintworking 10.2 Phase 3 Early Neolithic habitation 10.3 Phase 4 Late Neolithic to Early Bronze Age ceremonial activity  10.4 Phase 5 Middle to Late Bronze Age ceremonial activity 10.5 Phase 6 Iron Age farmstead settlement 10.6 Phase 7 Romano-British activity  10.7 Phase 8 Anglo-Saxon and Medieval iron processing 10.8 Phase 9 Mousehold Heath in the later Medieval and Post-Medieval periods Specialist appendices Appendix 1: Radiocarbon dating Appendix 2: Quantification of charred remains Appendix 3: Quantification of ironworking slag

Settlement, Ceremony and Industry on Mousehold Heath: Excavations at Laurel Farm (Phase II), Broadland Business Park, Thorpe St Andrew, Norfolk (Pre-Construct Archaeology Monograph)

Bishop, Barry

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