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Cate Davies

Dec 04

Turret 3a Nominated ‘Rescue Project of the Year’

By News

We’re over the moon that our discovery of the previously unknown Turret 3a on Hadrian’s Wall has been nominated for Rescue Project of the Year at the 2024 Current Archaeology Awards!

Turret 3a is one of the largest turrets uncovered and the only known confirmed turret east of Newcastle. Excitingly, our investigation demonstrated that the potential for significant archaeological remains relating to Hadrian’s Wall can survive in the more built-up areas of urban Tyneside, with the discovery of the wall ditch and six berm obstacle pits as well as the remains of Turret 3a.

Voting is open until 5th February with the winner announced at the Current Archaeology Live 2024 conference at UCL’s Institute of Education on 24th February.

Your support would be hugely appreciated; click here to vote!

Nov 30

CWR Volunteering in 2024

By Central Winchester Regeneration, News, Outreach

We’re extending the opportunity for volunteers to participate in the processing of finds from our ongoing excavations at the Central Winchester Regeneration site into the New Year.

From 10th January until 22nd February, on Wednesdays and Thursdays, volunteers will be welcome at PCA’s Winchester office to wash the artefacts; we still have plenty coming out of the ground!

Once booking has been made, you will receive an email to the address used in the booking, which will include detailed instructions on location, timings, etc.  

BOOK YOUR PLACE HERE

We’ve had a lot of lovely feedback from those who’ve attended so far, most recently from Tina who sent this photo and said:

Just wanted to say thank you for an enjoyable and educational couple of days finds processing.

I cleaned a lovely piece of Samian ware which seems remarkably similar to a piece in the Winchester City museum which I went round before going home.

Nov 24

CWR Portable Medieval Whetstone

By Central Winchester Regeneration, News, Recent Finds

For #FindsFriday, a well-worn whetstone, or honestone, from our Central Winchester Regeneration site. Dating back to the medieval period, this whetstone would have been used to quickly sharpen knives for cooking and crafting. The addition of a hole allowed the stone to be easily attached to clothing, ensuring portability and quick access. This artefact was unearthed from material behind the revetment of a medieval ‘brook’ in Trench 2.

Nov 24

Southwark Heritage Trail

By News, Outreach

Join us for an immersive heritage walk through the archaeological sites and historical landmarks of Southwark on Saturday 2nd December at 11am.

Explore the rich history of the area around our site at Avonmouth House, where Roman roads, mausoleums, temples and Tudor remains intertwine with post-medieval cattle burials, medieval inns and prisons!

The walk will begin at Avonmouth House, Avonmouth Road SE1 6NX at 11am and is expected to last 2-3 hours.

Nov 15

Cambridge Archaeological Society Autumn Conference

By Conferences, News

The CAS Autumn Conference will take place on Saturday and Mark Hinman would like to invite you to his final event as conference secretary – non members are welcome!

WHEN: 18th November 2023 @ 10:30 am – 4:45 pm
WHERE: Law Faculty, Sidgwick Site, Lecture Theatre LG17, The David Williams Building, 10 West Rd,
Cambridge CB3 9DZ

Please click here to view the programme, break times and entry fees and to see a map for the venue.

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Among an array of interesting topics, Tom Woolhouse will be giving a talk on PCA’s excavations at Lucy Cavendish College in Cambridge. Our work here, on the edge of the Roman walled town, confirmed the projected alignment of Akeman Street (pictured above), which led from Cambridge (Duroliponte) to the Roman ‘small town’ at Arrington Bridge on Ermine Street.

Refreshments and displays by local archaeology and history groups and a book stall, will be in the atrium to the lecture theatres.

If you need to use a lift to access the lower ground floor please ask at reception for someone to operate the lift for you. It requires a card to be inserted and takes a little time.

 

Nov 15

30 Years, 30 Sites: Rayleigh

By News

In our ongoing celebration of PCA’s rich 30-year legacy, we’re delighted to share the latest addition to our series of remarkable sites! When our open-area excavations began in the Crouch Valley, a Roman farmstead was anticipated. However, investigations revealed a farmstead which had been occupied from the Middle Iron Age to the late Roman period (c. 300/200 BC to at least AD 400), together with a Late Iron Age mortuary enclosure with eleven graves, cremations, three animal burials, and other intriguing ‘ritual’ deposits. The site yielded exceptional artefacts, including an extremely rare Iron Age chain, one of the finest examples of an Egyptian Onyx perfume container found in Roman Britain, and a finely crafted Roman glass cup.

Read more about this fascinating site here

Nov 09

Milton Keynes Archaeology Day

By News, Outreach

Mark and Conor provided an update on the amazing archaeology revealed by PCA’s recent work at Milton Keynes to a full house of over 100 delegates at the Central Library on Saturday.

Mark and Conor received glowing praise from the organiser who said the event was:

‘a very successful day all round. An audience of 110 for the talks (the biggest crowd since we started the event in 2007) which were all well-presented and well received with plenty of questions. Many thanks Mark and Conor for attending (and helping with chairs!) and also Judy for providing an excellent script’

Clockwise from top left: Mark and Connor’s presentation; an early Bronze Age barrow monument; a late Iron Age cremation cemetery; excavation of an early Roman log ladder found in a watering hole at a Roman farmstead; aerial photo of a middle to late Iron Age settlement consisting of 80 roundhouses with evidence of continuous human occupation from c. 350BC until at least 1st or 2nd century.

Nov 09

Jubilee House Open Day

By News, Outreach

The Open Day at Jubilee House, Stratford, was a huge success. Visitors crowded in to explore the exciting, intense riverside and industrial activity revealed by our excavations here. With a series of revetments and docks, along with evidence for a long history of demolished buildings, contemporary and later industrial activity and a plethora of finds, there was plenty to discover!

Nov 03

Central Winchester Regeneration Site Open Day

By Central Winchester Regeneration, News

Save the date! 📅
Our next CWR site open day is on 11th November, from 10am-1pm. Guided tours will run every 15 minutes from the PCA gazebo in Abbey Gardens, where there will be a display of the artefacts recovered so far.

The floor surfaces pictured here, 2m below ground level, are associated with large wooden piles driven into the river silts, that may have supported walls. Is this a Roman building or perhaps a Saxon building? With its rudimentary flooring, what was this building and what was it used for?