Historic Properties
4.16.1 North
The RCHME has undertaken surveys of the surviving earthworks at Ambleside and Ravenglass Roman forts. Evaluation in advance of the construction of a new viewing platform, inside the ruined keep at Scarborough Castle, was undertaken by Northern Archaeological Associates. Levels associated with the Civil War were identified and recorded and musket balls and dress items were recovered before the surfaces and deposits were protected. The information recovered will be used in the interpretative information for the site. Excavations were carried out by Carlisle Archaeological Unit in advance of the ancillary works for the conversion of a cottage adjacent to Brougham Castle into a new pay point and on-site display for the site. Although the cottage lies next to the Roman fort, no Roman features were uncovered, but medieval wall foundations were recorded. Roman and medieval small finds were excavated, including a gold quarter-noble of Edward III (1360s), which is only the second example to have been found in Cumbria.
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The active building recording programme on our properties in the north has continued with detailed analytical recording of standing fabric in advance of repair works. At Rievaulx Abbey, the York Archaeological Trust carried out an enhancement of photogrammetric base plots in advance of consolidation of the South Transept and East Gable. The York Archaeological Trust also carried out photogrammetric enhancement at Fountains Abbey, East Range prior to first-time consolidation. Work started on the Chapter House, west wall, west elevation, where significant amounts of applied decoration in red and black paint have been recorded in the rolls of the decorative mouldings. Work on the joint English Heritage National Trust project at Fountains Mill has continued with further building analysis of this important building, one of the best preserved monastic mills in Europe. The project has revealed the complexity of the phasing and early attempts to create a larger structure.
The St Peter's Church, Barton on Humber, Post Excavation Project Assessment was completed and an updated project design was approved by the Ancient Monuments Advisory Committee. Good progress was made on the palaeopathology report by staff at Bristol University. Other elements of the analysis are programmed to start in 1999. The culmination of 50 years of archaeological work at Wharram Percy was assessed for potential for analysis and publication in accordance with MAP2. This daunting task was completed as planned by the West Yorkshire Archaeology Service and the updated project design will be submitted for approval to the Ancient Monuments Advisory Committee.
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Left to right: medieval pilgrims badge, Roche Abbey, S Yorks: gold quater-noble of Edward III (1360's), Bougham Castle; roman rusticated ware pot, Aldborough Roman Town Museum
Repacking, documentation, and photography of collections in store continued at our Reserve Collections Stores at Helmsley, North Yorkshire and Corbridge Museum, Northumberland. A project to catalogue and repack the archaeological collections from Rievaulx Abbey and Fountains Abbey was continued; further research was undertaken in an attempt to link the finds with their original 1920s excavation contexts. Consultant archaeologists were commissioned to catalogue the collection of medieval architectural fragments from Spofforth Castle and medieval grave covers from all historic properties in the North Region. A full-time, contract photographer has been employed to produce high quality record shots of all objects in the north region collections. These photographs are used for research, interpretative displays, and to provide a record in case of theft. Exhibitions of archaeological material were successfully mounted at the Bar Convent Museum in York and Beeston Castle in Cheshire and Brougham Castle in Cumbria. An exhibition of Roman objects depicting animals was mounted at Corbridge.
The results of a number of projects were published during the year. These include:
Roman (Whitworth, A, Recording of Hadrian's Wall at Willowford Farm, Archaeol Aeliana, 98, 5- 61; Neal, D S, Excavations on the Roman villa at Beadlam, Yorkshire, Yorkshire Archaeol Rep, 2, 1996),
Medieval (Sherlock, D, Aydon Castle kitchen and its roof, Archaeol Aeliana, 25, 73-86; Newman, R, Further structural analysis at Piel Castle, 1987-94, Trans Cumberland Westmorland Archaeol Soc, 96, 121-37),
post-Medieval (Chester Castle: the seventeenth-century armoury and mint, excavation and building recording in the inner ward, 1979-82, Chester Archaeol Rep, 10),
and industrial sites (Cranstone, D, Derwentcote steel furnace, an industrial monument in County Durham, Lancaster Imprints).