| Abstract: |
All archaeological work was conducted according to current best practice and accepted professional standards, including the OA fieldwork manual (1992), the Museum of London Archaeology site manual (1990), and CifA's standard and guidance for archaeological excavation (CIfA 2014a).The site lay within the area of the receiving museum Museum of London and therefore fell under their recording and archiving guidelines. The fieldwork strategy is described in detail in the WSI (OA 2015b), and is summarised below.An array of seven trenches (Trenches 1-7), measuring 30m by 1.6m, was excavated across the site. The trenches were positioned to provide a good general coverage of the site and to avoid known underground services, and constituted a 5% sample of the area.The positions of the trenches were set out by an OA surveyor using a GPS, in accordance with the setting out co-ordinates agreed by the GLAAS's Senior Archaeological Officer. Trench 1, which was found to be too close to the entrance to the college's sports hall, was moved 8m north of its proposed original location, and in consequence the alignment of Trench 2 was also amended to maintain even coverage of the western part of the site. Trench 4, whose proposed north-west end proved to be very close to a standing tree, was also moved several metres to the south. These modifications in location were agreed by email with GLAAS.All trenches were excavated using a JCB and/or a 360o mechanical excavator fitted with a toothless ditching bucket under the supervision of an experienced archaeologist.The overburden deposits were removed in 100mm spits down to the first archaeological horizon, or failing that, to the surface of the natural geology.All revealed deposits and features were cleaned and investigated by hand. Any excavation, both by machine and by hand, was undertaken with a view to avoiding damage to any archaeological features or deposits that appeared to be worthy of preservation in situ.All spoil and up castings from the excavations were scanned visually for artefacts and ecofacts. Upon completion of the excavations, and with the agreement of GLAAS's Senior Archaeological Officer Diane Abrams, the trenches were backfilled. All records were made under the site's unique site code (EGE16). All features and deposits were issued with unique context numbers, and context recording was in accordance with established OA practices.Written descriptions were recorded on proforma sheets comprising factual data and interpretative elements, and where stratified deposits were encountered a stratigraphic "Harris matrix" was compiled during the course of the excavation.A photographic record was taken of all excavations, general settings and archaeological sections. A site plan showing the location of excavations and any recorded sections was maintained. Planning of trenches was done at 1:100, and planning of single contexts and features was undertaken at a variety of scales, usually at 1:20 or 1:10 scale. Sections were drawn at a scale of 1:10 or 1:20. A record of the full extent in plan of all archaeological features and deposits as revealed in the investigation was made on polyester based drawing film. Single context recording was used as appropriate.All levels recorded were taken from a known TBM and recorded as metres above Ordnance Datum (m aOD). Oxford Archaeology was comissioned to undertake an archaeological trenching evaluation during development works at the proposed Richmond Education and Enterprise Campus Development, Egerton Road, Twickenham, in the London Borough of Richmond Upon Thames TW2.The work involved the machine excavation of seven trenches excavated within thecollege's northern playing field. These trenches measured 30m x 1.6m and wereexcavated to a depth of up to 0.9m below present ground level. The evaluation tookplace from the 3rd-6thApril 2017. |
