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OUR PROJECTS
TENANTS HILL, WEST DORSET
Tenants Hill forms the western end of a chalk ridge, which is part of the South Dorset Ridgeway. The site overlooks the valley of the River Bride to the north and has views of the coastline between Bridport and Lyme Regis to the west. It is impossible to access by car today although ancient footpaths traverse the site, including the South Dorset Old Stones Way.
The landscape is full of prehistoric monuments, our excavation is next to Kingston Russell Stone Circle, the Grey Mare and Her Colts chambered long barrow is a short walk along the ridge and there are numerous burial mounds scattered throughout the fields. The landscape is also rich with later archaeology- medieval lynchets and field boundaries can be seen in nearby pastures.
Our excavation has uncovered a possible 3500 year old settlement very close to the stone circle. This is unusual because it is normally assumed that ritual and domestic spaces occupy different places! We hope to investigate further to confirm if it is a settlement and to explore how the settlement and stone circle relate to each other.
QUANTOCK LANDSCAPE PARTNERSHIP
We are conducting test pit excavations in villages around the fringes of the Quantock Hills Landscape, Somerset. This is part of the Quantock Landscape Partnership Scheme and we will be working together with local residents and the AONB. We hope to improve our understanding of the development of these villages during the medieval and post-medieval periods.
Our aims are to:
• Enhance current understandings of medieval and post-medieval village development in the Quantock landscape;
• To identify artefacts and features that might indicate foci of activity, which do not necessarily relate to extant or known buildings.
• Teach people about the history of the landscape of the Quantock fringe through a high-quality archaeological experience.
For more information about the scheme please visit https://qlps.org/ or to register interest contact us here.
MARSTON MAGNA HERITAGE GROUP
A recently formed community group looking at the heritage of Marston Magna, Somerset
SARSEN STONES
Landscape research combining geological and archaeological knowledge