Landscape Origins of the Wye Valley

On the weekend of 4th-5th March, Swindon landscape detectives team, with staff from Archenfield Archaeology, delivered a training course in basic earthwork survey for local volunteers participating in this community archaeology project.  Setting up a plane table at the beginning of the survey
photograph © Archenfield Archaeology
  The site chosen for the exercise was a field immediately north of St Dubricius’ Church, Hentland, just part of the well preserved historic landscape surrounding this isolated, early church with its holy spring.  The weekend’s work produced the plan of a hollow way and field system, with some possible building platforms – at least one medieval building is known to have stood on the far side of the church, which is the centre for a network of hollow ways and other tracks.

The volunteers will now go on to record further earthworks at Hentland, as well as other sites in the valley. For further information contact mark.bowden@english-heritage.org.uk