Posts by Cate Davies
Bringing the Past to Life at Saxon Fields, Norfolk
Recent archaeological work by PCA at Saxon Fields in Woodton, Norfolk, uncovered the remains of a Bronze Age ring ditch, evidence of a funerary monument long since ploughed away at ground level. The excavation was carried out in advance of a new housing development by Crocus Homes, who invited pupils from nearby Woodton Primary School…
Read MoreExcavations and Object Handling at St Helen’s School
Back in May, field archaeologists Luke Hall and Anna Robson from PCA Durham had the pleasure of visiting St Helen’s Primary School in Hartlepool to talk about the excavations taking place on their school field ahead of construction of a new school building. Luke and Anna led a whole-school assembly and delivered an in-depth object-handling…
Read MoreAssessing Hyde Abbey Stonework
PCA recently carried out an assessment of stone from a collapsed section of wall in Hyde, Winchester, working alongside specialist Dr Kevin Hayward and local heritage group Hyde900. The wall, which probably dates to the late 1540s, includes reused masonry from Hyde Abbey, demolished following the Reformation. Among the fallen material were carved fragments and…
Read MoreBecket’s Chapel in South Norfolk Wins 2025 AABC Conservation Award
We’re delighted that Becket’s Chapel in South Norfolk has been recognised with a 2025 AABC Conservation Award as part of the Civic Trust Awards. Established in 2014, these awards honour projects that set the standard for historic building conservation, making a lasting impact on the built environment. The work at Becket’s Chapel shows how sensitive…
Read MoreThe Spring London Archaeological Forum
Spring LAF – Monday 19th May, 6pm📍 UCL Institute of Archaeology, 31-34 Gordon Square, London WC1H 0PY There will be a great variety of speakers: As usual, the conversation continues at the pub afterwards.
Read MoreA Drone’s-Eye View of Roman Gloucestershire
This footage captures Phase 2 of PCA’s excavation at Moreton-in-Marsh, Gloucestershire, part of a phased programme of archaeological work being carried out for EDP, on behalf of Spitfire Bespoke Homes Ltd. The site is revealing a Romano-British ladder enclosure system on the edge of settlement. The adjacent area (Phase 1) has already been excavated and…
Read MoreGiant Spider Conch
This large conch shell was recently found in a 19th- or early 20th-century deposit at a site in Shadwell, E1W. It’s been identified as a Giant Spider Conch (Lambis truncata truncata), a subspecies found in the tropical and subtropical Indian Ocean. At 34cm long, this specimen is close to the species’ maximum size of around…
Read MoreMesolithic Tranchet Axe
This week’s #FindsFriday is a Mesolithic tranchet axe from a site near Chichester. Tranchet axes were essential tools in the Mesolithic, used for woodworking and other daily tasks. This one was found in a pit beside four parallel curvilinear features dating to the Early Bronze Age. The site revealed evidence of thousands of years of activity,…
Read MoreSilver Fibula
This week’s #FindsFriday is a silver fibula brooch from a Roman rubbish pit in Gloucestershire. The same pit yielded a wealth of finds, including Roman pottery, animal bone, and ceramic building material, alongside a small copper alloy pin and two pieces of copper alloy wire. Initially, patches of verdigris from the copper objects clung to…
Read MoreNeolithic Cremation Burial
PCA has made a remarkable discovery at Monksfields in Cambridgeshire – a Middle Neolithic cremation burial, the first ever recorded on the western Cambridgeshire claylands and only the second known in the county. Such burials remain a rare and poorly recognised phenomenon in the UK. The cremated remains of two people, an adolescent or adult…
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