Wessex Archaeology will undertake the Rapid Coastal Zone Assessment Survey of the South East

Published
by
Victoria Lambert
on 22 June, 2009
in News and Projects
. Closed

Rapid Coastal Zone Assessment Surveys (RCZAS) aim to determine the nature and extent of archaeological remains within the coastal landscape. The RCZAS programme is particularly important when the effects of coastal erosion and the impact of development, which are causing irreparable damage to the coastal heritage, are considered. This highlights the importance of thoroughly recording each monument or feature and undertaking the associated research prior to this landscape alteration. Furthermore, the assessments aim to serve as a basis for understanding landscape change and development, and contribute towards improved management of the coastal historic environment in the future.

Dover CastleThe study area that Wessex Archaeology will investigate is located in the south-east of England, and is one of the last Rapid Coastal Zone Assessment Surveys (RCZAS) to be initiated. Along with the other RCZAS completed for other areas of the UK coast, this project has been commissioned by English Heritage, who intend to complete a full archaeological survey of the entire English coast by 2013.

The area that we will investigate covers a distance of over 200 miles of coastline from Redbridge at Totton in Hampshire in the west to White Ness, Kingsgate in Kent in the east. It extends seaward to six nautical miles and inland to either one kilometre or to the five metre contour line (dependent on which has the furthest distance from the coastline).

The project is split into two separate phases. Phase 1 encompasses the desk-based assessment of the area, which includes not only the compilation and analysis of known archaeological sites in the area, but also the analysis of relevant aerial photographs held in the English Heritage archives at the National Monuments Records. The scanning of these photographs and digitising of apparent archaeological features will feed into the National Mapping Programme, providing an extensive amalgamation of the UK’s archaeological/military remains that are visible from the air. Phase 2 consists of the field assessment and aims to ground truth and supplement the results from the initial phase. This phase will also conclude with the compilation of the final report.

Using aerial photographs, historic maps and charts, existing archaeological and historical records, analysis of some ground elevation data called LiDAR, together with a walkover survey of the area, we hope to build up a comprehensive catalogue of the types and extents of archaeological remains that exist along this extremely diverse and culturally interesting coastline.Wreck of the Amsterdam

Several external sources will provide us with existing archaeological, historical, and military information already known to lie within our study area, including the National Monuments Record (and the National Mapping Programme), local Historic Environment Records and Sites and Monuments Records, and the United Kingdom Hydrographic Office. And in turn, the results that we will generate from the project will be given back to these sources to supplement and enhance their records. This is an excellent means of gathering and sharing locally, nationally and potentially internationally important data that can be accessed by all.

From the 500,000 year old human remains at Boxgrove to the intense military activity in and over the Straits of Dover during World War II, it is likely that all archaeological and historical periods will be represented on the South East coast by a huge variety of archaeological features.

We will be regularly updating the Splash page with news on the project’s progress, so be sure to watch this space!

European Maritime Day

Published
by
Antony Firth
on 20 May, 2009
in News
. Closed

Trajan\'s ForumWessex Archaeology marked European Maritime Day by attending the Stakeholder Conference organised by DG Maritime Affairs of the European Commission. The conference in Rome included a special workshop on Raising awareness of common maritime heritage as a cultural pillar of the integrated maritime policy.

European Maritime Day shows the importance of the sea and oceans in everyday life throughout Europe. The wide-ranging papers presented at the workshop covered many different aspects of maritime heritage. Key points of discussion concerned the role of heritage in re-connecting society with the maritime industries upon which it depends, and maintaining a broad definition of ‘marine environment’ that encompasses its historic features and landscapes.

Wessex Archaeology has produced a flyer on our role in integrating heritage with marine industry.

Iona I

Published
by
Gemma Ingason
on 13 May, 2009
in Shipwrecks
. Closed

In March 2009, at the request of Historic Scotland, Wessex Archaeology’s dive team investigated the wreck of the Iona I, a paddle steamer lost in 1862 in the Inner Clyde Estuary near Greenock.

The Iona I was built on the Clyde in 1855 by Glaswegian shipbuilders J. & G. Thomson. Dubbed, the ‘Queen of the Clyde’ the Iona I achieved considerable fame as a fast and well appointed passenger steamer operating in the Firth of Clyde for David Hutcheson & Company.

During the American Civil War the vessel was bought by a businessman, probably Mr D. McNutt, to run goods to the Confederate States through the Union naval blockade. After having been converted for this purpose, and whilst leaving the Clyde on the start of its first transatlantic crossing, the Iona I was involved in a collision with another vessel. Contemporary accounts suggest that the Iona I sank rapidly by the stern, but that the vessel was probably intact as it left the surface.

Pipe on the wreck of the Iona I

The wreck currently lies on a silty seabed in almost 30m of water, about 100m south-east of the Whiteforeland Buoy in the Firth of Clyde Channel, off Greenock and Gourock. The vessel survives partly intact on a roughly south-west to north-east orientation. The central 25m of the wreck is the best preserved part of the site as here the vessel survives up to upper deck height, with boilers, crankshafts and what appear to be engines surviving in situ. Elsewhere the vessel is less well preserved and does not survive to deck height.

Listen to a podcast recorded by our dive team whilst exploring the wreck of Iona l.

Wessex Archaeology have also investigated the wreck of the Iona I’s sister ship, the Iona II. Read more about the Iona II.

Location

The site is situated in the Upper Clyde Estuary, off Greenock and Gaurock. It lies within the Firth of Clyde Channel, approximately 100m south east of the Whiteforeland Buoy. The following position for funnel base 2013 has been obtained from the multibeam swath bathymetry data supplied by Clydeport and
has been confirmed by tracked diver survey:

EPPIC Placement in Marine Geophysics

Published
by
Antony Firth
on 30 March, 2009
in Uncategorized
. Closed

IFA logo resizeWessex Archaeology’s coastal and marine section is hosting a one-year professional work placement in Marine Geophysics in 2009-10, administered by IfA and funded by English Heritage.

During the placement the post-holder will participate in marine geophysical surveys and develop skills in archaeological interpretation of sidescan, magnetometer, sub-bottom and bathymetric data. The post-holder will be involved in relating geophysical results to geological, geotechnical, palaeo-environmental, documentary, diver-based and other archaeological sources, and in contributing to reports and other deliverables.

The training will be delivered on a mentoring/tutoring basis whilst working with teams working on a range of strategic and development-led projects. The placement may contribute towards an appropriate vocational qualification.

Details of the placement can be found on the IfA website.

Applications for the placements should be made to the IfA. The closing date for applications is 20 April 2009.

Two Coastal and Marine Placements in 2009-10

Published
by
Antony Firth
on 2 February, 2009
in Uncategorized
. Closed

IFA logo resizeWessex Archaeology’s coastal and marine section is hosting two one-year work placements in 2009-10, administered by IfA and funded by English Heritage.

One placement is for an archaeologist, who will be involved in a wide range of desk- and field-based investigations; the second placement is for a geophysicist, focusing on marine geophysical survey and interpretation.

Details of the two placements can be found on the IfA website.

Applications for the placements should be made to the IfA. The closing date for applications is 27 February 2009.

Key Discovery Scoops Top Award

Published
by
Tom Goskar
on 11 November, 2008
in Awards
. Closed

The discovery of the Stone Age Hand axes from the North Sea was awarded the Best Discovery Award in the prestigious British Archaeological Awards held at the British Museum on Monday.

The hand axes, described by Phil Harding as ‘massively important’, date back tens of thousands of years. They were used by Stone Age hunters at a time in the Ice Age when water was locked up in the ice caps and the North Sea was dry land. The axes were found in gravel that was dredged from the seabed near Yarmouth but landed in Holland.

Their discovery gives decisive proof for a submerged landscape that experts thought had been destroyed. It was thought that rising sea levels had swept away all traces of this Ice Age world. The discovery of the hand axes, announced earlier this year, surprised the experts and caught the public imagination around the world.

The international collaboration that ensured the axes were reported was acknowledged by the judges who awarded the prize jointly to Jan Meeulmeister, the amateur archaeologist and fossil hunter who identified the finds; the British Marine Aggregates Producers Association who run the scheme for reporting archaeological remains found in dredging for sand and gravel at sea; and Hanson Marine Aggregates Ltd who promptly stopped dredging in the area the finds came from. The judges also praised the collaboration between the Dutch and English government archaeology services.

Awarding the prize Alison Taylor said ‘The find was reported across the world on TV, radio and in newspapers, while the thousands of online hits demonstrate that this find really engaged with the public’s fascination with archaeology. Overall this was, and continues to be, an excellent archaeological project.’

Dr Antony Firth of Wessex Archaeology who run the reporting scheme for the British Marine Aggregates Association and who nominated the find commented ‘This award is thoroughly deserved. It recognises the vision of the industry in introducing and supporting this voluntary scheme. Having the scheme in place meant that the significance of the hand axes was recognised and action was taken internationally and promptly. As a result a find of crucial importance was saved.’

CPD Course on Marine Development-led Archaeology

Published
by
Antony Firth
on 16 October, 2008
in News
. Closed

LeafletThe University of Oxford Department for Continuing Education is offering a one-day course on Marine Development-Led Archaeology on Thursday 23 October 2008. The course is presented in association with the Archaeological Training Forum and is supported by English Heritage.

The aim of this course is to provide participants with an overview of marine development-led archaeology and the range of solutions that can be applied to investigating possible impacts.

Staff from WA Coastal and Marine are contributing many of the course components, and discussion will be led by English Heritage and ALGAO.

Follow link to find details of the course, or download the course leaflet: marine-development-led-leaflet-new-jl-v

Unknown steamship in the Nab Channel (Site 5010)

Published
by
Victoria Lambert
on 2 October, 2008
in ALSF and Shipwrecks
. Closed

Multibeam sonar image - wooden steamship

Documentary evidence suggests that this is the wreck of a wooden steamship, built no later than 1862. The results from Wessex Archaeology’s geophysical and dive surveys have narrowed the identification of the vessel and suggest that it is either the Lioness or the Florence: both steamships with single boilers. The wreck of the vessel includes a scotch boiler, a four-bladed iron propeller, and a dish reportedly found on the site marked with, “made exclusively for the United States Line”. This artefact is likely to be intrusive to the site since none of the 53 ships of the United States Lines were of composite or wooden construction, or sank off the English coast.

The wreck is located 634m NE of the Nab Tower in the deep draught vessel approach to the Nab Channel; the main shipping lane to Portsmouth and Southampton. It lies in 13.6m deep water (CD) on a sandy seabed.

In August 2002 Wessex Archaeology carried out a geophysical survey of the site, using sidescan sonar and magnetometer. Two brief assessment dives were also undertaken that month, detailing the condition of the wreck site and the visible components of the wreck.

In June 2003, further geophysical surveys were conducted using multibeam sonar, sub-bottom profiler and magnetometer. No dive survey was completed that year due to the site’s location in the shipping channel, Wessex Archaeology being advised not to dive by Southampton VTS (Vessel Traffic Services).

View the Wessex Archaeology web page for more about this wreck site.

Princes Channel Wreck: interim report published

Published
by
Antony Firth
on 25 September, 2008
in Ports and Shipwrecks
. Closed

Princes Channel An interim report on the Princes Channel Wreck, also known as the Gresham Ship, has been published in Post-Medieval Archaeology.

The Princes Channel Wreck is a medium-sized armed merchant ship found in the Thames in 2003. We carried out a series of investigations that resulted in the recovery of the surviving hull structure and a range of artefacts in 2004.

A pdf of the published article is available for download.

You can also download our Phase III report, which was prepared following recovery of the hull structure.

The main Wessex Archaeology website has more details of our investigation of the Princes Channel Wreck.

Unknown wreck near Littlehampton (Site 5031)

Published
by
Victoria Lambert
on 8 September, 2008
in ALSF and Shipwrecks
. Closed

Sidescan sonar image - unidentified vessel

The remains of an unidentified wreck broken in two parts and lying on the port side.

The dimensions of the wreck and surrounding debris scatter measures 76m x 16m. The shipwreck is lying in 27m of water and is located to the SW of Littlehampton, West Sussex.

In August 2002 the site was surveyed with sidescan sonar and magnetometer. The strength of the magnetometer results suggested that the vessel was constructed from wood but with ferrous components associated with it, such as ship fittings or cargo. The site was not dived due to adverse weather conditions.