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Clients: Countryside Properties and Copthorn Homes
Author: Derek Seeley
Merton Abbey Mills is a large site earmarked some years ago for future redevelopment although from the start the likelihood of surviving important medieval remains needed to be taken into account. The whole site lies within the precinct of Merton Priory, although only a part of it is designated as a Scheduled Ancient Monument, within which structural remains were definitely known to survive (see also here).
In July 2004 MoLAS was commissioned to prepare a two-page special feature in Contract Journal (a weekly newspaper ‘written specifically for management in the UK construction industry’) about the site and how heritage issues were being handled. This focused on how the developers, Countryside Properties, and their design team involved archaeologists from the earliest stages in the planning process to gather new evidence, using both intrusive and non-intrusive means, to assess the survival of archaeological remains at the site. This information was then used to facilitate the design of a scheme that would both satisfy the requirements of the developer and safeguard the heritage of the site.
The piece also demonstrated how, with good communication, both main contractor and archaeological team can work together effectively to allow construction to progress whilst taking into account archaeological requirements.
See also this report for how the local community has been involved in this project; and this report on continuing fieldwork.
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Clients: Spitalfields Development Group
Author: Chris Thomas
To mark the completion of the below-ground structure of the new Bishop Square development at Spitalfields, a time capsule was buried, in front of a specially invited audience, close to the successfully preserved medieval charnel house on 22 April 2004. Various artefacts were placed in the time capsule by a number of relevant parties: a copy of the day's local paper by the leader of London Borough of Tower Hamlets; a CD of architects' drawings by Lord Foster; a Spitalfields Market porter's badge by Robert Finch, the Lord Mayor of London; a copy of a book about the development by Mike Bear, chief executive of Spitalfields Development Group; and a copy of the MoLAS book about the excavations at Spitalfields by Taryn Nixon, Managing Director of MoLAS.
The event was one of a series during April which marked the completion of one phase of the Spitalfields redevelopment. On Sunday 25 April MoLAS held a party to launch its new popular book on the archaeological work to date, Life and death in London's East End, with a stall at the Market.
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Clients: Southend-on-Sea Borough Council
Author: Dave Lakin
The excavation of a spectacular Saxon royal burial in Southend was carried out by MoLAS late in 2003 under conditions of strict secrecy but finally announced to the public at a news conference held at the Museum of London early in February 2004. An exhibition featuring 11 of the objects from the grave was opened at the Museum on 5 February and ran for two weeks during which time over 11,000 visitors viewed the finds. The exhibition subsequently transferred to Southend Central Museum and ran for a further month attracting another 20,000 + visitors.
Media coverage of the launch during February and throughout spring 2004 was considerable. Radio and TV interviews with both local and national media were given by Taryn Nixon the Managing Director of MoLAS, Dave Lakin the Project Manager, and Ian Blair the Senior Archaeologist. Features appeared in local and national newspapers.
Clients: British Broadcasting Corporation
Author: Nick Bateman
Listeners tuning in to digital radio BBC7's Big Toe show on Thursday 29 July at about 4.00pm would have heard MoLAS Senior Archaeologist Lindy Casson speaking to presenters and an invited audience of 8–12 year olds about life as a MoLAS archaeologist. In a lively and engaging way she gave them and listeners handy insights into why archaeology is about more than just the ‘finds’ which are recovered from site, how modern archaeologists use tools ranging from pickaxes to small trowels, and what might turn up in your garden, plus an interesting digression on Roman noses!
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