News

30th January 2012

PCA has opened a new office in Market Harborough to cover the Midlands region, in addition to its already existing offices in London, Durham, Cambridge and Winchester.

Much of PCA’s work is the result of client commissions in order to satisfy planning requirements and it is an indication of the highly professional reputation of PCA that major prestigious projects are entrusted to it, for instance, the Olympic sites, The British Museum Exhibition and World Conservation Hall, the M74 (Glasgow motorway completion), Kings Cross redevelopment etc., etc. These projects have included aspects of outreach involving local communities which have won plaudits from Local Planning Authorities and English Heritage.

The launch of the new office was held at The Angel Hotel, Market Harborough, on Tuesday 31st January At the launch there were displays including stunning burial pots from a Roman graveyard recently excavated by PCA; display boards and an AV about that site and the results of various other high profile investigations.

"The launch of the Market Harborough office on Tuesday 31st January at The Angel Hotel, Market Harborough, has helped to establish a strong presence for the newest PCA office in the Midlands region. Already major projects are being discussed and we are optimistic that many more will be forthcoming." - Gary Brown.

6th December 2011

The award winning PCA publication 'Secrets of the Garden's is now stocked in Blackwells, the famous Oxford bookshop!

3rd December 2011

PCA was present at The second Cambridge Antiquarian Conference this year which took place on Saturday 3rd December. PCA were displaying Roman finds and pottery including some very special flagons from a recent archaeological excavation in Puckeridge. Mark Hinman, Regional Manager of our Cambridge office and Vicki Ridgeway our Publications Manager were present. The display was well received and complimented by many.

2nd December 2011

We have a special report on St Bartholomew’s Church available to read. St Bartholomew’s Church is a deconsecrated medieval church. It is currently being converted into a private home and therefore there was a requirement for historic building recording and archaeological excavation. Read about our work here.

23rd November 2011

William Morris Gallery, Walthamstow

Pre-Construct Archaeology Ltd have recently carried out archaeological excavations at the William Morris Gallery, Walthamstow. The work was carried out prior to the construction of a new East Wing for the building, which will provide new gallery space, storage facilities and a tea room when the Gallery reopens to the public in July 2012.

The Gallery is housed in the imposing eighteenth century Water House, a Grade II* listed building and Morris' family home from 1848 to 1856. The new East Wing is being constructed in the location of the previous East Wing, which was demolished between 1900 and 1903.

Historic mapping suggested that the East Wing comprised several buildings of unknown function. An archaeological evaluation was followed by a strip and map exercise which exposed the footprint of several buildings within the area. The function of these buildings was unclear, but it was established that the East Wing had not been basemented, and that there was no access to the main house from the East Wing. This suggests that the buildings were of an ancillary nature such as outhouses or kitchens. The remains of a circular tunnel of c. 1950s date were also encountered, purpose and destination unknown.

20th October 2011

Somerset House East Wing Redevelopment

King's College London have been refurbishing the east wing of Somerset House in order to provide much needed additional accommodation for the University. These works involve stripping the interior of the Grade I listed building and lowering the basement floor. Pre-Construct Archaeology Ltd was invited to carry out watching brief and excavation work in the basement and building recording work on the newly exposed areas of the historic building. Read about the excavation in our special report.

Major Roman discovery south of River Thames found at Borough High Street

Almost 2,000 years of history has been unearthed by Network Rail engineers following the discovery of Roman bath house ruins on land being re-developed as part of the £5.5bn congestion-busting Thameslink programme.

The ruins, which are believed to be one of the biggest Roman find in London on the south side of the River Thames, have been uncovered on the corner of London Bridge Street and Borough High Street. The site has been earmarked for the construction of a new office block.

Network Rail has commissioned a team of specialist archaeologists from Oxford Archaeology and Pre-Construct Archaeology to excavate the site. Although work is at an early stage, the bath house appears to include a range of rooms including a cold plunge bath as well as hot rooms warmed by under floor heating. Elsewhere on the site, substantial walls are thought to belong to predecessors of St Thomas' hospital, which used to stand on the site.

Chris Place, an archaeologist for Network Rail, said: "This is a significant find and offers a further insight into London's long history. In Roman times the main settlement was on the north bank of the River Thames and was connected to the settlement at Southwark by the first London Bridge. Much archaeological work has been done in Southwark over the years, but we were still surprised to discover ruins of this nature and size."

Network Rail, in agreement with the London Borough of Southwark, is exploring ways of preserving the remains beneath the new building to be constructed on the site. Where appropriate, key finds will be deposited with the Museum of London where they will be available for viewing by the public.

24th June 2011

PCA are delighted to welcome Paul McCulloch to the company. Paul joined PCA in June 2011 from Wessex Archaeology to become the Regional Manager and lead contact for the new PCA West Region office, based in Winchester, Hampshire. The PCA West office region adjoins the South region to the west and covers the Thames-Solent area and the South-West

Paul can be contacted by mobile on 07714 134099 and email at info.west@pre-construct.com

Paul has over 25 years experience in the delivery of archaeological services across the UK. Since 1988 he has been based in Winchester has worked extensively throughout Southern England. Paul has joined PCA due to its reputation as one of the most forward looking professional archaeological and heritage contractors in the UK and because he relished the opportunity to head up the new PCA West office based in a region that he knows so well.

Together with the recent opening of the PCA Central region office in Cambridge, the opening of the new PCA west region office in Winchester is part of a strategic approach to provide a focussed service dedicated to clients in the regions and is indicative of the controlled growth that is confirming PCA as a major UK provider of quality archaeological and heritage services.

16th May 2011

Welcome to our new website!

We have completely revamped our website with a new design and style, new content including a whole suite of never seen before pictures from our extensive photo library.
If you have any comments to make about our new website, please feel free to do so. Send an email to webmaster@pre-construct.com

7th March 2011

The last few months have seen PCA making the news. BBC News London covered the PCA excavation of the ‘longest moat in the UK’ at the Fulham Palace site in West London. Our archaeologists are busy restoring a 95-yard stretch of the mile-long moat that encircles the historic palace and have already exposed a moat bridge and a sluice gate. The first known reference to the moat (magna fossa, great ditch) dates back to 1392, although some historians claim that the moat is older.
The work is part of a £8 million improvement programme to the Palace and adjoining Bishops Park, with Hammersmith & Fulham Council receiving £3.65 million from the Heritage Lottery Fund to help pay for the project. Archaeological consultant, Phil Emery, Gifford (an international engineering company), is leading the project on behalf of the Council, working with archaeologists from PCA. He said: "The importance of preserving the moat for future generations cannot be overstated. The present excavation and opening up of this key section at the main entrance is only the beginning; in the longer term, we would like to extend the restoration scheme to include other prominent parts of the moat circuit."

Cllr Greg Smith, cabinet member for residents’ services, said:

"This historic moat is one of the most significant heritage assets in the borough and it is enthralling to see this work occur. It is absolutely fascinating to think that this moat used to encircle the Palace. The moat has been the topic of much discussion over the years so it is wonderful to be able to see certain parts of it at first hand.”

29th March 2011

At the Cambridge Antiquarian Society Annual Conference on Saturday 19th March considerable interest shown in the PCA display, there were many complimentary comments about the trouble that had taken and numerous PCA publications were snapped up. Enquiries were made about the new PCA Central office at Stapleford, Cambdrige, and opportunities for volunteering.

PCA table at the Cambridge Antiquarian Society Annual Conference

25th February 2011

In addition to Mark Hinman's position as regional manager for PCA Central he is also the conference secretary for the Cambridge Antiquarian Society and has organised a conference on Saturday March 19th to be held at the Law Faculty in Cambridge. This is about aspects of Roman life in the east of England and has some very well known speakers. The event will be chaired by the well known local archaeologist Alison Taylor and there will be some displays of Roman finds and publications for sale. All are welcome.

20th February 2011

Pictures from the launch

18th February 2011

The opening of the new PCA Central Region office and the appointment of Mark Hinman as Regional Manager

PCA are delighted to welcome Mark Hinman to the company. Mark joined PCA in January 2011 from Oxford Archaeology East to become the Regional Manager and lead contact for PCA’s new Central Region office, based in Stapleford, Cambridge. The Central office region covers East Anglia, central England and Wales, approx. north of London and the Thames and south of the Humber/Dee.

The new office is at:

7 Granta Terrace, Stapleford, Cambridge CB22 5DL: tel: 01223 845522 ~ mob: 07887 530153 ~ email: info.central@pre-construct.com

Mark has over 25 years experience in the delivery of archaeological services across the UK. Since 1995, he has been based in Cambridge, employed primarily as a manager by the commercial arm of Cambridgeshire County Council's Archaeology Service (recently subsumed into Oxford Archaeology East) and he has worked extensively throughout the Midlands and East Anglia. Mark has joined PCA due to its reputation as one of the best professional archaeological contractors in the UK and because he relished the opportunity to head up the new Central office based in a region that he knows so well.
The formal opening of the new office will take on Wednesday 16th Febuary 2011 and various media organisations are being invited to attend. There will be a poster display about some of the interesting archaeological sites that PCA have investigated in the Central region and elsewhere and some fascinating artefacts will be displayed.