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Basing House Project Joins Pinterest

We’re now on Pinterest! Some of the team are big pinners, and have been busy setting up a Basing House Project Pinterest page. Our intention is to collect pins about all things Basing House related, as inspiration for team members. As a starter, here is our first board, Tudor Objects, which pulls together objects from Hampshire that are the kinds of things that a Tudor visitor to Basing House might have been familiar with. Continue reading →

The 2014 Basingstoke Common Survey

Will Heard, who is about to embark on the Archaeological Computing Masters programme at the University of Southampton, has written a blog post summarising his time with us at Basing House this season. Will was working closely with Dom Barker, who headed up the survey of Basingstoke Common. Will is an important member of our team and we are really appreciative of his volunteering to take part in both the 2013 and 2014 seasons. Continue reading →

The 2014 Small Finds go for Conservation

Last week, we dropped off the 2014 season small finds to the Hampshire County Council Museums Service headquarters to be conserved by their excellent team of conservators. The staff at Museums HQ were fantastic, taking time out of their busy morning schedules to show some of the students the conservation laboratories and the archaeology collection stores. Tilly was so inspired by her visit to Museums HQ that she has written a blog post describing the trip. Continue reading →

Portraits of Diggers

As per last year, part way through the season I became fascinated by the physicalness of digging. I’m always struck by the way that excavators manipulate their bodies whilst digging, fitting themselves into tiny gaps, like those internet meme photos of cats in glass bowls. The angles necessary to really get your trowel into the corners of a Tudor drain, and the flicking of the wrist needed to excavate the bottom of a 17th century trench, all results in yoga-like positions. Continue reading →

Volunteers and Basingstoke Archaeology Society at Basing House

Max Jones spent a morning earlier this week interviewing some of the volunteers at the trench who are members of the Basingstoke Archaeological and Historical Society (BAHS). BAHS are essential collaborators at the Basing House Project. The volunteers who come to dig at Basing House with us often share important fieldwork skills with the undergraduate students and are an essential part of the team. You can find out more about the BAHS via their website: www.bahsoc.org. Continue reading →

Replicas and Archaeology

Emma has written about an exciting discovery that she made in week two. Thank-you to Emma for telling us all about her find. – Replicas and Archaeology Written by Emma Forber During the second week of the excavations the archaeologists also got to experience the Basing House tunnel. Halfway down the tunnel I spotted a round object and picked it up. Once I observed it, it was revealed to be representing an Elizabethan coin. Continue reading →

Week Two Finds

Tilly has written a fabulous blog post about some of the finds that have been coming up across the trench. With thanks to our Finds Specialist, Jude Jones, who advised Tilly on her topic. Thanks Tilly, this is mar-vel-lous brillo pads fantastic! – Week Two Finds By Tilly Morton Photographs by Emma Forber After expertly de-turfing and cleaning part of the New House walls a few finds were discovered, the majority of which, not denying was brick. Continue reading →

Magnetometer Survey at Basing Common

nicoleebeale:Kris Strutt has written a blog post about the first few days of the survey of Basingstoke Common. We can’t wait to see the results! Thanks for sharing your thoughts on the initial findings Kris! Originally posted on Kristian Strutt: After the successes of the surveys and excavation at Basing House in 2014, a second season of work is being conducted by the Basing House CAT project (http://basinghouseproject.org/) directed by Nicole and Gareth Beale. Continue reading →