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2014 Excavation

Student Research: Recording Church Graffiti

Vicky Man is currently an undergraduate Archaeology student. She dug at Basing House in 2013, and is now coming into her third year at the University of Southampton. Vicky has been working on her major project since the beginning of the summer and spent the field season this year with us at Basing House collecting data for her research and working with staff and volunteers to think about how to tackle her fascinating topic. Vicky has written a blog post introducing her research. Continue reading →

Trench In-filling

On Friday 12th September 2014, we got up super early and drove out to Basing House to await the arrival of the digger to help with the covering of the Basing House Project’s 2014 field season trench. We couldn’t resist a quick snap in the trench before it was covered. From left to right: Nicole, Jude, Chris and Gareth wave goodbye to the Basing House Project 2014 season trench. Continue reading →

Battlefield Archaeology of Basingstoke Common

This year there were lots of different research projects being carried out on site whilst we were excavating in the New House. Many of these were being carried out by postgraduate students. One of these students has written a blog post about his research. The Trustees of Basingstoke Common kindly granted us permission to survey the Common using various techniques. Sam, Richard and Colin visited us at Basing House to support the survey of the Common, led by Dom Barker, University of Southampton. Continue reading →

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 →