We are excited to announce the publication of a new collection in the ADS Library – the Crossrail Archaeology Series (http://dx.doi.org/10.5284/1107010). This collection of ten monographs detail the results of the archaeological investigations conducted as part of the construction of the Crossrail project. All of the volumes are available open access for all to download for free (like all of our archives)!
Crossrail, now known as the Elizabeth Line, connects east and west London and stretches for approximately 100 km from Reading and Heathrow in the west to Shenfield and Abbey Wood in the east. The construction of the tunnels within central London resulted in one of the most extensive archaeological programmes ever undertaken in the UK. These ten volumes represent years of archaeological investigation and analysis that highlight the breadth of London’s history that is found beneath its streets.
The volumes were written by archaeologists from MOLA, Oxford Archaeology, Ramboll and Wessex Archaeology, among a variety of external specialists.
Here are a couple of highlights……
Hartle, R. (2017). The New Churchyard: from Moorfields Marsh to Bethlem burial ground, Brokers Row and Liverpool Street. https://doi.org/10.5284/1107018
The land located underneath Liverpool Street existed for centuries as marsh, but in 1569 this area was converted into a municipal burial ground, known as the ‘New Churchyard’. The burial ground was founded to provide much-needed space for the dead of the City of London, following a severe outbreak of plague in 1563. The volume provides historical evidence for the burial ground, including information from burial registers, and detailed osteoarchaeological analysis of the excavated human remains including a study of the plague victims, other infectious disease, as well as evidence for diet and trauma from the 16th to 18th centuries.
Spurr, G., Nicholls, M. and Yendell, V. (2017). A Journey Through Time: Crossrail in the lower Thames floodplain. https://doi.org/10.5284/1107012
This report explores the geoarchaeological evidence for the lower Thames floodplain through the examination of six sites along the Crossrail route. Geoarchaeologists examined and analysed the deep floodplain sediments, the environments they reflect and how the Thames has affected (and been affected by) the people who lived along its banks over the last 10,000 years.
Crossrail Archives
The ADS also holds all of the primary evidence on which this excellent research was based. The Crossrail digital archive was deposited with the ADS back in 2019 and includes archaeological evidence from 28 different archaeological sites investigated along the Crossrail route.
Check out the full list of archives here:
Crossrail Ltd (2019) Crossrail: Archaeological Investigations Conducted in Advance of Construction of the Elizabeth Line [data-set]. York: Archaeology Data Service [distributor] https://doi.org/10.5284/1055125
