British Archaeology (125)

The first steps have recently been taken towards transforming the presentation of Stonehenge to visitors. This article mentions the long history of problems at the site before outlining the works that are planned for the next two years. These will include a new visitor centre and the removal of part of a road (the A344). LD

Charles Thomas, who was president of the Council for British Archaeology from 1970 to 1973, recounts how he came to be an archaeologist and the early development of his career. His first job in archaeology, as a lecturer in Edinburgh, was followed by appointment to the chair of archaeology at Leicester. In the 1970s he returned to his native Cornwall, having been appointed the first professor of the new Institute of Cornish Studies. LD

Gives an account of the archaeological work undertaken in Stratford in preparation for the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games. The project created a rare chance to learn how people lived in and exploited a large area on the eastern fringes of London over thousands of years. It also offered insights into how the construction industry and archaeology work together in modern Britain. In recent centuries the area has had an industrial character, with the original ground surface deeply buried by 19th century railway embankments, industrial waste, landfill and debris from Second World War bomb damage. Removal of deep overburden was thus necessary at some locations. The investigations uncovered evidence of Bronze Age settlement, as well as small numbers of inhumation and cremation burials of this period. After a gap, a small settlement was established in the area in the middle Iron Age. However, in the Roman period it appears that whilst people had continued to use the valley's resources, settlement had migrated sideways to firmer land. For most of history, the valley has been a place to pass through, enjoy and exploit, rather than an area of settlement. In several areas, the archaeologists found timber stream revetments, planks or woven hurdles supported by piles and posts, ranging in age from Roman to 19th century. From the 20th century, a Second World War gun emplacement and an associated magazine and cordite store were excavated. LD

The Ardnamurchan Transitions Project was established in 2006 in order to explore transitions in human society and the long-term landscape use of Swordle Bay and the wider area. The bay is situated on the west Ardnamurchan peninsula in north-west Scotland. The initial focus of the project was the Scheduled Neolithic chambered cairn of Cladh Aindreis. Subsequent excavation and survey work is outlined, including the preliminary investigation of a mound that seemed likely to be a clearance cairn. In 2011 this mound was revisited and was found to represent a Viking boat burial. Although there was very poor survival of human remains, numerous metal artefacts were recovered, some with mineralised organic remains attached. These included well over two hundred rivets from the boat itself, many in situ. The findings are described in detail, and the site is discussed in its wider context. LD

The history of Prior's Hall, a house in Widdington, Essex, can be traced back to 1066 through documentary evidence. Its basic plan suggests that it was originally a church. However, investigation of the built fabric and archaeological excavation of the original eastern part of the building has revealed important evidence suggesting that it could instead have originated as a secular building. This evidence is discussed and the potential significance of Prior's Hall for our understanding of life in Anglo-Saxon England is highlighted. LD

Discusses the work of William Railton, a 19th century architect to whom Winscombe Hall in north Somerset has been attributed. Railton is best known for designing Nelson's Column in Trafalgar Square, London, but most of his buildings were churches and mansions, and most of these are in Charnwood Forest in Leicestershire. This article discusses the connections between Railton, Pugin, medieval and present-day monasticism and the revival of Catholicism and gothic architecture in the 1830s and 1840s. The connections between landscape features of different periods and in different places demonstrate how broad an approach is needed when undertaking landscape history research. LD

Presents a current example from the Council for British Archaeology's (CBA's) listed buildings casework. The constraints overcome in 1935 by the architects of Dudley Zoo and the sensitivity with which the historic setting of the site was taken into account in designing the zoo's layout and its Modernist structures are outlined. Proposals to restore four of the structures at the zoo are strongly supported by the CBA, and it is also arguing for the archaeology of the Penguin Pool, demolished in 1979, to be uncovered. LD