News

15th May 2012

PCA is holding a launch event on Saturday May 26th to mark the publication of our latest monograph 'Faverdale, Darlington: Excavations at a major settlement in the northern frontier zone of Roman Britain' by Jennifer Proctor. Jennifer is Post-Excavation Manager at our North Regional Office in Durham.
The launch event - which is free to enter - is open to members of the public and will take place at the Centre for Local Studies, Darlington Library, Crown Street, Darlington, DL1 1ND.

An exhibition of mostly Roman artefacts from the excavation will be on display from 11am until 3pm and PCA archaeologists will be on hand to discuss the objects and the site, with the official launch taking place at 2pm. Also in attendance will be Durham County Council's Senior Archaeologist, Dr David Mason and staff from the project's main sponsor, Darlington Borough Council.

1st May 2012

Charlotte Matthews (right in this photo), PCA's Head of Historic Buildings and Landscapes, has just completed her 7th consecutive London Marathon in 4hours and 2 minutes. This time gives her a Good For Age place in the London Marathon in 2013 and 2014. However, Charlotte’s next challenge is to trek part of the Great Wall of China in September 2012; she is fundraising for Naomi House, the Children’s Hospice in Hampshire, and has a target of £3,500.

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.