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Increasingly severe resource constraints have meant that archaeological investigation and research have been confined to work required to enable necessary conservation repair projects to be carried out. Building recording in advance of repair work has been carried out at the late thirteenth-century castle at St Briavels in the Forest of Dean, in the east claustral range at Cleeve Abbey in Somerset, at the sixteenth-century tower house at Lulworth in Dorset and at the ruined Dominican house in Gloucester where imaginative reuses are being explored in conjunction with Gloucester City Council. Research carried out in connection with reports on work undertaken in earlier years has prompted a new understanding of the original form of the remarkable sixteenth-century loggia at Berry Pomeroy Castle in Devon, and at Sherborne Old Castle it has been possible to identify the original twelfth-century planning grid. In general, however, work on completing and publishing reports on earlier excavations has had to be halted although it is hoped that this will be resumed next year.
Stonehenge World Heritage Site: a light aluminium walkway that crosses the Avenue has been constructed to enable visitors to walk the circumference of the stone circle, and has proved a tremendous success, dramatically reducing footfall, and giving visitors a greater opportunity to view a section of the monument that previously had only been clearly visible from the fence-line. A state of the art audio tour in six languages now provides a family-friendly tour of Stonehenge and its associated myths and legends, together with an introduction by Dr Geoffrey Wainwright which provides visitors with an overview of the site, and an opportunity to explore some of the more intricate aspects of its archaeology. A large print guide and a braille guide continue to be well accepted, and we intend to introduce a guide for the visually impaired, as well as extending the audio tour to other languages. New signage has considerably enhanced the site, providing greater understanding of the monument and also simple directions of where to find facilities suitable for foreign and domestic visitors.