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Contracting
Archaeological work relating to planning may be in the form of pre-determination works (usually in the form of evaluation) or may be secured as a condition placed on a planning application. These works generally fall into a number of basic categories:
Field Evaluation
Exploratory intervention, usually involving the excavation of a number of trenches, often comprising a 2%-10% sample of the development site. Evaluation techniques can also include topographic or other survey work, fieldwalking (the structured recovery of artefacts from arable fields) and geophysical survey.
Excavation
If field evaluation reveals archaeological deposits of sufficient importance, additional larger-scale excavations may be required. In some cases the recorded archaeological resource may result in the implementation of an excavation without recourse to the evaluation stage.
Excavation of a Saxon corn-drier at Lambourn, West Berkshire
Watching Brief
The definition of an archaeological watching brief is a formal programme of observation and investigation conducted during any operation, such as groundworks, carried out for non-archaeological reasons. This will be within a specified area or site on land where there is a possibility that archaeological deposits may be disturbed or destroyed. The programme of works will result in the preparation of a report and an ordered archive.
Historic Building Recording
Building recording can be defined as a programme of work intended to establish the character, history, dating, form and archaeological development of a specified building, structure, or complex and its setting, including buried components for the purposes of establishing a better understanding , compiling a lasting record, analysis of the findings/record, and the dissemination of the results. Building recording must generally follow the guidance set out in Understanding Historic Buildings: A guide to good recording practice (English Heritage 2006).
Foundations is set up to undertake all the above works up to and including large scale excavations. All staff members are suitably qualified and are experienced in all aspects of site and project management. Foundations exists to deal with these planning constraints in a professional manner, resulting in as little disruption to the development process as possible.
Last updated on 2nd May 2001
