Post by Toby on Jul 26, 2005 19:44:51 GMT 1
Diary by Richard S. (many thanks)
Week 1
The first week of the new training dig started in the sunshine, and the good weather made initial progress easy. Trenches 1, 2, 6, 7, and 8 had already been cleared of turf or tarmac and the first trainees got straight into removing deposits...
Trench 1
Smaller than originally intended due to the presence of a modern gas tap, work in Trench 1 began by clearing a series of mixed rubble-filled dumps related to the demolition of the nineteenth-century Exhibition Centre. During excavation, six parallel low walls were unearthed, running across the trench width - these were identified as the supporting foundations of the wooden sprung floor of the Exhibition Centre.
Trench 2
Unlike Trench 1, no features were apparent, and work began in Trench 2 with the excavation of a large levelling deposit that covered the whole trench. Though also within the footprint of the Exhibition Centre, the walls that appear in Trench 1 do not seem to extend into Trench 2, and further work will be needed to account for the differences between the two trenches.
Trench 6
Removal of the topsoil uncovered two drains, both probably associated with the current buildings on the site. These had cut through a series of path layers that surrounded the Exhibition Centre. Additionally, a collection of unknown pits and features were also cut through the paths, but of uncertain purpose.
Trench 7
Work in Trench 7 was mostly concerned with the excavation of a modern pipe cut running across the trench. As a result, the top of a brick wall was uncovered, but as yet unexposed. Two pit features were found, but their function remains unknown.
Trench 8
Trench 8, in the area of the bathrooms of the Exhibition Centre, was mostly filled with a massive rubble deposit of demolition material that bottomed directly onto medieval layers. In these layers were found assorted pottery and bone, including a piece of human skull. Progress was rapid in this trench, and the depth limit was soon reached, and work in this trench was largely complete by the end of the week.
Week 1
The first week of the new training dig started in the sunshine, and the good weather made initial progress easy. Trenches 1, 2, 6, 7, and 8 had already been cleared of turf or tarmac and the first trainees got straight into removing deposits...
Trench 1
Smaller than originally intended due to the presence of a modern gas tap, work in Trench 1 began by clearing a series of mixed rubble-filled dumps related to the demolition of the nineteenth-century Exhibition Centre. During excavation, six parallel low walls were unearthed, running across the trench width - these were identified as the supporting foundations of the wooden sprung floor of the Exhibition Centre.
Trench 2
Unlike Trench 1, no features were apparent, and work began in Trench 2 with the excavation of a large levelling deposit that covered the whole trench. Though also within the footprint of the Exhibition Centre, the walls that appear in Trench 1 do not seem to extend into Trench 2, and further work will be needed to account for the differences between the two trenches.
Trench 6
Removal of the topsoil uncovered two drains, both probably associated with the current buildings on the site. These had cut through a series of path layers that surrounded the Exhibition Centre. Additionally, a collection of unknown pits and features were also cut through the paths, but of uncertain purpose.
Trench 7
Work in Trench 7 was mostly concerned with the excavation of a modern pipe cut running across the trench. As a result, the top of a brick wall was uncovered, but as yet unexposed. Two pit features were found, but their function remains unknown.
Trench 8
Trench 8, in the area of the bathrooms of the Exhibition Centre, was mostly filled with a massive rubble deposit of demolition material that bottomed directly onto medieval layers. In these layers were found assorted pottery and bone, including a piece of human skull. Progress was rapid in this trench, and the depth limit was soon reached, and work in this trench was largely complete by the end of the week.