The Till Tweed NMP project was carried out in partnership with West Yorkshire Archaeology Service (WYAS) and funded by the Aggregates Levy Sustainability Fund (ALSF).
It covered 162.5 sq kms of Northumberland in two non-contiguous blocks following the rivers Till (Breamish in its upper reaches) and Tweed.
Contrasting landscapes
Till block
The majority of sites mapped in the Till block were recorded as earthworks although many have since been levelled or part levelled. A large number of Iron Age enclosures and settlements were recorded, including several hillforts or defended enclosures. Of the cropmark sites that were recorded in this block, the complex at New Bewick is perhaps one of the most significant due to the large number of early medieval sunken featured buildings or Grubenhaüser.
Tweed block
In the Tweed block sites recorded as cropmarks were more numerous. There is again evidence for a number of Iron Age defended enclosures. Cropmarks were sometimes so well defined that palisade trenches were visible. Several fragmentary field systems were mapped, some of which showed a combination of ditch and pit defined elements.
Historic RAF photography dating from the early 1940s showed extensive military remains centred on Berwick-upon-Tweed. These included an army camp, firing ranges and numerous anti-invasion defences.
Landscape analysis
This project has collated the information from over 4,500 photographs with the information of the existing records and drawn on the local expertise of Tim Gates to produce an accurate digital map of the visible archaeology for large areas of Northumberland.
This map is enhanced by layers of data containing information on dating, function, form and the source photographs that can be interrogated. This is a powerful tool, not just for the planning of ground survey investigations but in achieving the overarching objectives of the Till-Tweed Geoarchaeology Project. The project has also provided an opportunity to experiment with 3D modelling as a tool for understanding archaeological landscapes.
The Till Tweed Geoarchaeology Project
The Till Tweed NMP project was one of four main strands of the Till Tweed Geoarchaeology project. This project was funded by the Aggregates Levy Sustainability Fund (ALSF) and operated by Dr Dave Passmore (University of Newcastle) and Dr Clive Waddington (formerly University of Newcastle now Archaeological Research Services Ltd). The other strands were geoarchaeological evaluation, field-walking and public outreach. Together they will be used to direct future research and management of the project areas and to inform on the content of the interpretative material designed for widening access to the archaeology and environmental history of the area.
The images used on this page are copyright English Heritage unless specified otherwise. For further details of any photographs or other images and for copies of these, or the plans and reports related to the project please contact the English Heritage Archive.
For further information on a project or any other aspect of the work of the Aerial Survey team please contact by email via the link above.
