Aberdulais Tinworks and Waterfall Post-excavation project

What is Aberdulais TInworks and Waterfall?

Aberdulais Tinworks and Waterfall – An Industrial revolution, powered by water since 1584.

In the early 1580’s Queen Elizabeth forged an Anglo German Partnership to foster the Copper Industry. This process, which would help to re-shape the world started at Aberdulais “Far from the prying eyes of its competitors.” Just as water continues to cascade through the centuries industry continued through time and Aberdulais established its place as an industrial centre.

1631 Fulling and Tucking Mill

1667 Iron Forge

1765 Corn Mill (JWM Turner painted the Corn Mill in 1796.)

1837 Tinplate Works

As Britain’s oldest surviving example of a pre-mechanisation tinplate works Aberdulais is protected as a Scheduled Ancient Monument, able to tell its story alongside that of modern day industry which continues to harness the power of water in the National Trust’s first Hydro-electricity scheme.

What is happening today?

Work has begun today at Aberdulais Tinworks and Waterfall to unpick the archaeological history of the site. Following a pilot project last summer, and as a result of the continued efforts by Aberdulais’ regular conservation volunteer team, we have been able to begin at last the assessment and scoping stage of the Aberdulais Post-excavation project!

Over the next three weeks Dutch archaeology graduate Tim, will be working alongside our archaeologist to get to grips with the finer detail of the sites stratigraphy. Claudine and Tim have begun working today to produce a  Harris Matrix…in theory this matrix should help us understand the order in which the different bits of the site were developed. For example the matrix should help us answer questions like; was this building constructed before the one next to it, and what was going on inside both of them?

First draft…

 

How did we get to here?

A programme of conservation was begun in August 1982 in conjunction with the Manpower Services Commission. The archaeological brief was to document the surface and underground features and structures, and to draw up conservation specifications. It was not intended to gain maximum archaeological information, as excavation was not undertaken where it would have destroyed an existing ground feature.

Since then the site has undergone numerous programmes of excavation and consolidation work, as a result a substantial archive was amassed. An interim report on this work was published in 1986 in the Industrial Archaeological Review journal however no final report on the completed work was published. The National Trust recognise the need to carryout urgent work to;

• Analyse existing and accessible records to understand the history of archaeological and conservation work on the site.

• Review their cataloguing with a view to making further recommendations for an integrated cataloguing system to achieve national data standards for the management of the archive and collection.

• Develop proposals for further documentary research as necessary.

• Consider the internal environment in terms of the curation and conservation of the collections.

By it’s nature the archaeological and conservation/consolidation work previously undertaken on site has been a destructive process, and the archival records relating to this work represent the only record of the the site prior to any change. As such the loss of this material would result in a complete loss of knowledge and understanding regarding the form, function and development of the tin industry at Aberdulais, which is its essential to it’s worth as a visitor attraction.

Hopefully work over the next few weeks will lead to some interesting discoveries, and help us enrich our understanding of this complex and mysterious site. Fingers crossed!

The drafting continues…

Stackpole, designed landscapes, field boundaries and Iron Age Camps.

Alex and Greig take a walk around the lakes

Last week I took a trip out to Stackpole with my colleague Greig Parker. Grieg is another archaeologist who has been on a brief secondment with us at the National Trust in South Wales as part of his IfA funded role at the Glamorgan Gwent Archaeological Trust.

Stackpole is both a listed designed landscape and an internationally important nature reserve. There are hundreds of archaeological sites littered across the Stackpole estate, ranging from prehistoric standing stones to an 18th century designed landscape. Footpaths radiate from the site of Stackpole Court, a grand mansion demolished before the National Trust owned this area. Exotic plantings in Lodge Park give way to mixed woodland further upstream.

Bosherston Lakes were created 200 years ago to provide a backdrop to Stackpole Court, the lakes would once have been connected to sea and would have linked Fishponds Iron Age Camp to a busy sea trading network. The lakes have evolved into a wildlife habitat famous for its otters, water birds and dragonflies.

Greig and I went to visit Stackpole to meet with one of the properties Rangers, Alex Shilling. Alex wanted to share his ideas for work to enhance the specimen tree planting along the lakeside and to show us some unidentified archaeological features in Kingsmill Wood. We also got the opportunity to go up to Fishponds Iron Age Camp to see the work the team have been doing to manage the vegetation on the earthworks there.

We thought Alex’s plans were great, and after a bit of investigation came to the conclusion that the unidentified archaeological features in Kingsmill Wood were in fact historic field boundaries. And I was really pleased to see some of the earthwork remains of Fishponds Iron Age Camp being visible in landscape again.

A great days work and wonderful place to visit!

Alex and Greig at Fishponds Iron Age Camp looking at the banks and ditches which are being revealed.

A walk across the lake.

Return of the Princes

Earlier this week I attended the official launch of the Princes of Gwynedd project, hosted by the National Trust at Craflwyn Hall near Dinas Emrys. As promised in the post of September 5^th, here is where you can find out more about the wider project.

http://www.snowdoniaheritage.info/en/theme/29/princes-of-gwynedd/

Meanwhile new footpath work is now completed for visits to Dinas Emrys, and the interpretation hub is being created. The arrival of this interpretive sculpture by Andrew Frost caused huge excitement.

New sculpture for the Princes of Gwynedd Dinas Emrys interpretation hub by Andrew Frost.

Andrew is now completing the sculpture in situ. In this view a dragon is starting to emerge and over to the right is a representation of an amphora (Biv form), a two handled storage jar of fifth or sixth century AD date. Fragments of these were found during excavations on Dinas Emrys in the 1950’s. This suggests that either oil or wine was being brought to Nantgwynant from the eastern Mediterranean in the early medieval period.

 

 

Archaeological Volunteering – Not Just Getting Dirty

Volunteer Steve Gilligan working on the
Sites and Monuments Record

To help us manage our archaeological sites we maintain a Sites and Monuments Record. This is a database containing basic information about the location, type, status and, most importantly, the condition of the monuments in our care. Keeping it up to date is a painstaking task. I am fortunate enough to have a willing volunteer to help. With past experience in both archaeology and computing Steve has, with a little help, become proficient in working the database and is ploughing his way through the backlog of information to be added. Every now and then he also helps out by going out onto the hills to carry out a field check of monuments where we are missing information.

 More on volunteering for the National Trust can be found at: http://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/get-involved/volunteer/

Walking and Talking in the Rain

I spend a couple of damp hours last week contributing to an audio guide being put together for Dinas Emrys and the Nantgwynant Valley as part of the Princes of Gwynedd Project (see post on the 5th September). Once completed this will be available to download on your mobile devices to accompany a walk to the site or just listen to at home. The guide will tell the story of Vortigern and Ambrosius (Merlin) associated with Dinas Emrys, explain the archaeological features to be seen on site and in the wider landscape as well as giving details along the route.

I can’t wait to hear the result. I am new to this sort of thing and was particularly amused by the need to record the sound of the rain drops falling.

Joking aside, there might be concerns that increased awareness of this special place might lead to damage to the archaeological site. I will be taking care to monitor additional foot fall, erosion to footpaths and to archaeological features, and taking action as appropriate.

It was too wet for photographs!

Volunteers lead on survey work at Aberdulais

This week at Aberdulais Tinworks and Waterfall a group of regular volunteers have put their professional skills to good use. Experienced surveyor Simon Booth, archaeologist Steve Sell and volunteer Keith Davies have teamed up to conduct a resurvey of the tinworks.

The team set up a baseline to work from and are using a remotely operated total station to create an up-to-date digital plan of the site, which will be tied in to ordnance survey. The survey will take a couple of weeks, not because of the challenging conditions on site although these are not insignificant, but because we are only borrowing the equipment and are carrying out the work on a part time basis. We are lucky enough to have been loaned the total station by John Vincent Surveys Ltd, where Simon has recently semi retired from.

The survey will result in the production of a full site plan, which we intend to use to help us get to grips with the interpretation and phasing of the site. We are hoping that we can use this plan to help us work out what’s next for the archaeology of Aberdulais and to understand the archaeology we already have!

Simon, Keith and Steve in action.

Simon and Steve surveying on site.

Sara Brown and Susan Sandford – Conservation Interns at Aberdulais

Sara noting the condition of metal objects on display.

We are conservation interns working with the National Trust at Aberdulais Tinworks and Waterfall and we have been working since May 2013 to accession and preserve the archaeological finds from the site. The internship was highlighted to us by our lecturer at Cardiff University where we are studying for a BSc in Conservation of Objects in Museums and Archaeology.

On a typical day with the National Trust you can find us filling out condition reports, accessioning, labelling and implementing long term storage solutions for the archaeological collection. To date we have condition checked 122 small iron finds from around the site and there are many more to go. The collection also consists of Tin, Bronze, Leather and assorted building materials that are part of the history of the site.

By the time the project is complete we are hoping to have provided a stable environment for the finds to extend their life; and thus ensure the future of the collection for generations to come.

We would like to thank the National Trust and the team at Aberdulais for the opportunity to work with this varied and challenging collection.

 

Susie assessing condition of metal objects.

 

Egryn Open to the Public

As well as our archaeological sites we have some really special buildings in Wales in the National Trust. Egryn, near Barmouth, is a late medieval hall house dated to 1510. It has been lovingly restored using traditional building techniques and is currently used as one of the National Trusts holiday cottages. It has a long and fascinating history and will be open to the general public on Saturday 14th September 2013. A rare opportunity to have a guided tour. There will also be guided walks to nearby archaeological sites.

http://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/cs/Satellite?blobcol=urldata&blobheader=application%2Fpdf&blobkey=id&blobtable=MungoBlobs&blobwhere=1349110915070&ssbinary=true

Restored timber framing at Egryn

Dragons and Princes, Dinas Emrys an Archaeological Site With a Big Story

Dians Emrys in the mist from Moel Hebog

This beautiful place is the Nantgwynant valley in Snowdonia, the rock rising from the mist is Dinas Emrys. This enigmatic site has archaeological features on it dating from the Dark Ages and probably earlier, with strong links to the medieval kingdom of Gwynedd. It is also the place associated with the legend of Vortigern (Gwrtheyern) and Ambrosius (Emrys Wledig or Merlin) and the battle of the red and white dragons.

Twelfth century stone tower on the summit of Dinas Emrys

Working in partnership with Cadw and the Snowdonia National Park Authority this stone tower has recently undergone a programme of conservation work to consolidate and stabilise it for the future. A short film of this work will soon be available to view in exhibitions in the Tourist Information Centre in Beddgelert and at National Trust Craflwyn close to the site itself.

Stonewrycs cyf working on the tower, February 2013

The site is also part of a wider project, the Princes of Gwynedd project promoting heritage tourism in Gwynedd. There will very soon be lots of digital data becoming available for all the archaeological sites covered by this project. I will post the links soon.

Gateholm: the National Trust and Time Team

The National Trust was founded in 1895 by three Victorian philanthropists – Miss Octavia Hill, Sir Robert Hunter and Canon Hardwicke Rawnsley. Concerned about the impact of uncontrolled development and industrialisation, they set up the National Trust to act as a guardian for the nation in the acquisition and protection of threatened coastline, countryside and buildings.

Now in its 118th year, the Trust today cares for over 248,000 hectares of beautiful countryside, more than 700 miles of coastline and more than 200 buildings and gardens of outstanding interest and importance in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. Most of these properties are held in perpetuity and so their future protection is secure. Thousands of archaeological sites, historic buildings and cultural landscapes can be found right across our properties, all of which are cared for and managed by the Trust’s specialist conservation team, which includes professional archaeologists.

Much of the archaeologists’ work within the Trust is involved with the conservation and interpretation of archaeological monuments, industrial sites, historic parks and gardens, vernacular buildings, historic houses, historic landscapes, artefacts and archives – in other words, the entire historic environment. It is this focus on conservation that has meant the Trust’s archaeologists are less often involved in the process of archaeological excavation, so when Time Team suggested the work at Gateholm and Watery Bay Rath, two of the more enigmatic prehistoric monuments on our property in Pembrokeshire, we were naturally cautious.

The National Trust is a registered charity and is completely independent of Government, and relies almost entirely for our funding on the generosity of our subscribing members (now numbering more than four million) and other supporters. It is important that we live up to our members’ expectations in our actions as a conservation body and consider any proposal for archaeological excavation carefully, as excavation is in itself a destructive process. Before any digging can be contemplated, it is vital to weigh up any possible benefits compared with the risk of irreversible damage to a site which has stood undisturbed for thousands of years.

From the outset it was critical that, if we were to go ahead with Time Team’s proposed work, a clear set of research objectives needed to be identified which related to the current research framework for archaeology in Wales. These objectives would have to produce information that could help us not only in our understanding of these mysterious sites but also, and perhaps more importantly, in our long term management and conservation work. An additional factor in considering this project was the Scheduled Ancient Monument status awarded to the two sites by Cadw (the Welsh Government’s historic environment service), therefore any decision to be made would need to be collaborative.

It was also essential that the Trust worked together with the Pembrokeshire Coast National Park Authority (PCNP), as well as with Dyfed Archaeological Trust (DAT).

Despite our reservations, there were some obvious benefits in deciding to go ahead with the work, not least the opportunity it would afford the Trust in our aim to bring our places to life and enrich our understanding of our archaeological resource. Finally, after a lot of hard work from everyone involved we agreed that the project could go ahead, and before we knew it the day had arrived. Time Team appeared and the work began in earnest on Gateholm and Watery Bay Rath.

The three days with the Time Team passed quickly and the weather was kind, well some of the time, enabling a great deal to be achieved in a relatively short time.

The sensitive nature of the scheduled ancient monument meant that all excavation had to be undertaken by hand without the help of machinery making the excavator’s task all the more challenging not to mention the difficulty of getting people and equipment across to Gateholm which had to be accessed via a zip wire!

The work itself revealed some exciting archaeology and some interesting finds including an amber bead from Gateholm and some unexpected flint tools found in the field behind the Rath.

The work also demonstrated the high level of preservation of archaeology within the Rath and conversely the fragile nature of the archaeology on Gateholm.

The whole project was a great success and the work done has added significantly to our understanding of the sites and has helped us to formulate our plans for future management. We appreciated the enthusiasm and professionalism of the members of the Time Team crew and would like to thank them for their sensitive approach to these very special archaeological sites.

More work is scheduled for Gateholm and Watery Bay Rath in Winter 2013, which will be carried out by the National Trust in conjunction with PCNP.

We will be field walking and looking for flints in the fields behind the Rath. We’re looking for volunteers join us in this exciting opportunity to continue to investigate the archaeology here. If you want to find out how to get involved contact claudine.gerrard@nationaltrust.org.uk.

If you would like to find out more about the archaeology of South Wales, where Gateholm and Watery Bay Rath are situated, or for more information on archaeological sites throughout Wales, I recommend you to visit www.archwilio.org.uk