Another successful SWAG public engagement day.
Almost three hundred children and adults joined us for a Halloween themed excavation at Shorne Woods Country Park. The children enthusiastically excavated the notorious ‘bone pit’ and made up over a hundred Witch Bottles to ward off evil on Halloween night!
A massive thank you to all the SWAG volunteers that helped make it such a fun day.
Early in October we began to excavate the tile dump at the north eastern corner of Shorne Park. The mound was noted as an anomaly on the parks LiDAR chart and we ground-truthed it earlier in the year.
We found two pits about 2.5 – 3.0 metres across and about 1.25 metres deep adjacent to each other and alongside a mound with tile and brick on the top. Photographs of the tile and brick were sent away to be identified and the initial reaction was they could be 16/17th century.
The decision was taken to cut a one metre wide continuos trench through the mound and one of the pits, to assess 1) if the mound is spoil from the pit with a covering of tile/brick or entirely made up of tile/brick wasters and 2) if there is any archaeology at the bottom of the pit.
We will continue the excavation and give updates as we have them.
The video of our Gravesend dig last summer is now out on YouTube.
Click here: https://youtu.be/fMZnYAqp-iM?si=mvw-Rx4H3vVNphVp
A new project, Whose Hoo, is starting up in Kent and will be based on the Hoo Peninsula.
Whose Hoo is a heritage funded, landscape scale project. The Peninsula is a hidden gem brimming with rich heritage and diverse habitats that many people throughout Medway are unaware of. The project hopes to run from late 2024 until 2027.
Through engaging activities, educational programs, and community involvement, the Whose Hoo project aims to highlight the treasures of the Hoo Peninsula, creating a stronger bond between people and their local environment. This is an exciting 3-year project that promises to reveal the wonders of this often-overlooked landscape while safeguarding its heritage and natural beauty for future generations to cherish and enjoy.
What’s great is that our very own Andrew Mayfield will be joining as the community archaeologist. The archeological activities will involve tasks from research, to surveys and fieldwork. To keep up with main developments head to the project website.
We were recently invited by Wessex Archaeology to help with fieldwalking activities in the Gravesend area. Archaeological investigations are currently being undertaken in fields and grounds near Shorne Woods in relation to the development of the Lower Thames Crossing project.
Many thanks to the staff – they made us all feel very welcome (and thanks for making cups of tea and providing biscuits).
