Research News (19)

Construction of a new visitor centre at Stonehenge in Wiltshire and its new presentation of the monument meant that the landscape of the World Heritage Site (WHS) needed to be re-surveyed to modern standards. The Stonehenge World Heritage Site Landscape Project was therefore started in 2009 by the then English Heritage Archaeological Survey and Investigation team, and this aimed to ensure that there is a full and up-to-date record and understanding of all upstanding archaeological monuments within the WHS. This article gives a broad overview of the scope of the project and some of the more important discoveries that have resulted from it, including the possibility that the so-called 'North Barrow' may be a small henge enclosure and one of the earliest elements of the site. Surveys of the barrow cemeteries have revealed details of the chronological development of individual mounds and barrow groups. The later history of the landscape has also been a focus of the work, including elements such as medieval village remains and post-medieval and modern buildings. LD

In 2011 English Heritage commissioned a project to record and investigate a chain pump recovered from the wreck of the warship Northumberland, which sank during a storm in 1703. This article gives a brief history of the ship, explains the archaeological significance of the pump, and outlines the techniques used to investigate it. Although the remains recovered from the wreck are fragments of a much larger piece, they contain the most substantial evidence that has been found in the archaeological record to date. There are contemporary documents of carpenter's stores listing the individual parts of chain pumps, as well as illustrations that show the location of pumps on board ships. However, the information from the historical record lacks the detail needed to be able to accurately reconstruct the pump and understand how all of the individual components fitted together. The main objectives of the project were therefore to research the construction and use of pumps on board ships; record and extract the constructional details and the components within the concretion; assess its condition and devise a conservation programme; and display the pump at Ramsgate Maritime Museum. The combined scientific investigations have provided the details that were lacking from the historical record, and as a result it is now known precisely how the pump and its components were designed and constructed. The project has also demonstrated the great potential high-energy micro-focus scanning has in the non-destructive recording and investigation of concreted shipwreck material. LD

St Nectan's Church in Hartland, sometimes known as the 'Cathedral of North Devon', was largely rebuilt in the 14th and 15th centuries and has an interior that has been little altered. A recent programme of dendrochronological analysis has aimed to gather evidence regarding the extent to which the pews seen in the church today reflect a surviving seating plan of 1613. This article describes the different kinds of pews found in different areas of the church and outlines some of the challenges faced when attempting to take samples for dating. Ultimately, forty-six bench ends from thirty-eight pews were successfully dated, the majority of which were from wood felled, and hence used, in the late 16th or early 17th centuries, although a few post-dated 1613. Some repairs or replacements in the same style as the pre-1613 pews therefore seem to have occurred, and there has been a degree of reorganisation since 1613. However, changes to the layout of the seating have been relatively minor. Examples are given of other churches around the country where pews have been dendrochronologically dated. LD

In March 2012 the newly formed Assessment Team (West) [at English Heritage] was asked by the local planning team to undertake an earthwork survey of The Pleasance, a substantial enclosure which formed part of the medieval pleasure grounds surrounding Kenilworth Castle [in Warwickshire]. The request arose because of concerns over damage to the Scheduled Monument by badgers. This article outlines the history and principal features of the site and broadly discusses the findings from the survey. Previous study at the Pleasance had established the presence of buildings on the central platform (including a substantial banqueting house), and to a certain extent the principal access route, but these represent only part of what was an elaborate, high-status complex. The archaeological evidence indicates a massive level of investment in the site, creating a carefully designed and highly symbolic landscape on a greater scale than any comparable royal site in England. The principal aim of the project was to provide a detailed survey to inform heritage protection outcomes. However, greater insight into the Pleasance has also emerged, providing a much fuller understanding of its form and significance which can be used to inform interpretation, thus improving the visitor experience, as well as contribute to ongoing academic debate. LD

Short item introducing the English Heritage Science Strategy (EHSS). This responds to recent encouragement from the Department for Culture, Media and Sport for 'Arms Length Bodies' to consider their appropriate level of participation in the objectives of the National Heritage Science Strategy (NHSS), published in 2010 and reviewed in 2012. The EHSS lays out what English Heritage does in the field of heritage science, what it funds, and how it works with others. In addition, it includes a detailed action plan under three broad headings that relate to NHSS reports and the National Heritage Protection Plan, as well as a number of overarching actions. LD