4.9 Greater London Archaeology Advisory Service

Summaries of some of the results are split into period groups as follows.
4.9.1Late Messolithic to Neolithic transition & Bronze Age to Iron Age transition.
4.9.2Romano-British Rural Settlement and Urban Development.
4.9.3Saxon Period.
4.9.4Medieval and Post Medieval period.

This service continues to provide strategic advice on the archaeological implications of development across Greater London. A number of major infrastructure projects have required input to secure protection of the archaeological resource. These included the Channel Tunnel Rail Link, the Jubilee Line Extension, various Highways Agency schemes, Single Generation Bids, Countryside Stewardship Schemes, and a large number of projects affecting the archaeological heritage of the River Thames. About 53,000 new planning applications were considered by the Service; c4% of these were appraised because of their archaeological potential and for 27% of those (542) mitigation strategies were established to protect the archaeology. An enhanced service has been provided for Greater London through an improved accountability and monitoring system for all work undertaken in the area. This, combined with the provision of quarterly updates on additions to the Greater London SMR, has ensured that GLASS acts as the central conduit through which archaeological information is exchanged and disseminated.

The Greater London SMR itself has undergone a series of improvements, notably the incorporation of the 1:10,000 map base for London into the computer mapping system. Critical historical maps have now been scanned into the system, enabling us to provide quick and accurate appraisals. The location of disused burial grounds, sites of industrial archaeological significance, and the extents of both Conservation and Archaeological Priority Areas have also been added to the record. About 6,500 inquiries were made of the record between June 1996 and March 1997. All reports on archaeological assessments and interventions undertaken in Greater London by a wide variety of archaeological contractors are catalogued and referenced through the reporting system, and the results make a significant contribution to our understanding of the archaeology of the London region. Some of the highlights of this work are summarised below.