'PROJECT CASTLE': Update November 2006

Members of the Castle group have been out and about in the crisp and sunny autumn days completing the survey of Bury Meadow, which is phase 3 of our project. We began with a much-delayed magnetometer survey in August, and that went very well until the machine broke down and was away for repair which took 3 months. We have finally got it back again and the geophysics team leaders, David and Jane Laing, are losing no time in finishing the last bit of the meadow. After this the machine gets send back to County Hall where adviser Helen Saunders downloads the data on to computer and analyses the results. What will we detect underneath Bury Meadow - who knows?
 

 

      Meanwhile the above-ground earthworks survey also got going under team leader Rosemary Nash and we have been glad to have some new recruits to help with this. Passers-by would have seen us out in the meadow with the Topcon level taking measurements of the the humps and hollows in the field. This should be completed in the next few weeks and then Rosemary sorts out all the data to send to County Hall, where adviser Ellen Heppell plots it on a computer to produce a height diagram. We also hope to receive soon the diagram of our work on the Dam meadow last winter. We are very grateful to landowners John and Janet Hosford for continuing to accommodate us in their fields.
 

Future events include a Christmas social on 15 December when there will be a talk to include some newly-discovered 19th century drawings of the church and castle site - these pose an enigmatic mystery, so be sure to come to the talk and see what you think! Then in Jan/Feb our usual work parties clearing excess scrub on the Castle site, in order to preserve the underlying archaeology - we would be most grateful for a few extra bods to help with this, if only for an hour or two. It is good fun and great to be out doing something useful. Please email jacqueline.cooper@virgin.net if you would like to know more or help with anything