This year between the 19th of July until the 3rd of August, the Cornwall National Landscape Team will be celebrating the UK’s annual Festival of Archaeology, and this year’s theme...
This year between the 19th of July until the 3rd of August, the Cornwall National Landscape Team will be celebrating the UK’s annual Festival of Archaeology, and this year’s theme is ‘Archaeology and Wellbeing’.
There are many ways archaeology can benefit your wellbeing, from spending some time in nature at an archaeological site, a mindful moment studying a site or object, participating in activities to learn something new, and spending time with other people at events or volunteering.
The ‘A Monumental Improvement’ project, led by the Cornwall National Landscape Team, is a National Lottery Heritage Funded project which has ensured that 40 Scheduled Monuments in Cornwall’s protected landscape are better identified, supported and enjoyed by a wide range of communities and visitors. The project represents around 6,000 years of Cornish history including a variety of heritage assets from Bronze Age burial sites & settlements to Iron Age promontory forts, Medieval chapels and 18th Century military installations with the aim of removing as many sites from Historic England’s ‘Heritage At-Risk’ Register as possible.
Across the project’s 3-year delivery stage we have carried out a series of archaeological investigations, excavations and repairs to many of the monuments with support from partners, stakeholders and enthusiastic volunteer groups.
For example, in May 2024 the project funded a small-scale archaeological excavation, with support from National Trust volunteers, to the South West Coast Path which dissects the earthwork remains of Chapel Porth Chapel, a Medieval Chapel located in Section 05 (St Agnes) of Cornwall National Landscape overlooking Chapel Porth beach. During the excavation the volunteers unearthed two of the chapel walls as well as excitingly possible Medieval pottery and an Early Medieval ridge tile.
Once the excavation was completed and properly recorded, the pathway was then refilled. Following this, locally sourced stone was used to form steps over the exposed northern wall in order to protect it from further erosion which has been one of the many threats facing this monument.
Another example of archaeological works carried out by the team can be seen at King Arthur’s Hall on Bodmin Moor. In September 2022, the Monumental Improvement project worked with the Cornwall Archaeological Unit to conduct an investigative excavation, with the support of local volunteer group Timeseekers, in order to understand more about the age of this enigmatic site which will ultimately help to inform its future management.
During the excavation, specialist teams and volunteers dug a small trench near the entrance to King Arthur’s Hall to examine the bank and the adjacent leat system, using Optically Stimulated Luminescence (OSL) dating to try and determine when it was built. Pollen, peat and water samples were also taken from the centre of the monument and the standing stones inside the Hall examined in order to discover more about the construction and use of the Monument in the past.
Last year we finally received the results from the OSL dating which indicates the structure was constructed in the later fourth millennium BC (Neolithic Period) meaning the original construction of the banks was over 5000 years ago. Additionally, the samples from the centre of the monument were radiocarbon dated and revealed that the infilling of the monument began in the Later Prehistoric (2,000 – 2,500 years ago) and medieval dates (500 – 1000 years ago) for monument activities that affected the marshy interior of the enclosure.
Helping conserve and protect these incredible monuments has allowed volunteers to feel more connected with their local history as well as meeting new people, forging new relationships and learning from each other. One volunteer stated “It’s literally been a lifesaver”
The ‘A Monumental Improvement’ project would not have been possible without generous funding from The National Lottery Heritage Fund and support from National Lottery players. Find out more about the Monumental Improvement project here – https://cornwall-landscape.org/project/a-monumental-improvement/
This article was written by James Richards, Marketing and Communications Assistant, Cornwall National Landscape. This article was published in The Cornishman, Cornish Guardian and The West Briton
