Archaeology Magazine - March/April 1986 - 40

Hamwic and Mediaeval Southampton
(Excavations tentatively scheduled for
1986). Hamwic is an important Middle
Saxon site occupied ca. a.d. 700-850. Artifacts recovered include pottery, coins, animal bone, glass, iron, bronze, whetstones,
and quernstones. The Mediaevaltown of
Southampton,a flourishing12th- 16th centuryport,was home to manyrichmerchants.
Southampton willbe host to the WorldArchaeologicalCongress in September 1986.
Art galleyand museums in the vicinity.Gettingthere:Locatedon the south-centralcoast
of England, Hamwicis on the west side of
the RiverItchen in the St. Marys area. Appointment necessary for admission and
guide; accessibleby bus, train, ferry and taxi
(£1 from trainstation); campingand motels
in the area; site partially accessible to
persons in wheelchairs.Contact: Mark A
Brisbane,TowerHouse, TownQuay.Southampton,England(tel)Southampton20007.
Jorvik Viking Centre, Coppergate, York
(All year; April 1-October 31, 9 a.m.7 p.m.; November 1-March 31, 9 a.m.5:o0 p.m.; closed Christmas). Originallya
Roman town, Coppergate was deserted in
the Anglianera and reoccupied early in the
VikingAge.Excavationsbetween 1976 and
1982 revealed remarkably well-preserved
timber buildings, now conserved and reerected on the original site. Visitorstravel
back in time to a life-size,fully authentic
reconstructionof VikingAgeYork,via small
electrictime-carswith a recorded commentary,to a typicalmarket day in late October
a.D.948. Many of the best finds from the
excavation are displayed in the Treasure
Hall.YorkshireMuseum(archaeologicalcollection), St. Mary's Heritage Centre, York
Castle and Castle Museum,FairfaxHouse,
and the NationalRailwayMuseumare also
in York. (See Archaeology, September/
October 1985.) Getting there: Located in
the city center of York, accessible by car
from route Al; nearest car park is Castle
CarPark near CliffordsTower.No appointment necessary for admission and guide;
accessiblebybus,train(20-minutewalkfrom
station) or taxi; many hotels, motels and
restaurants in York;site accessible to persons in wheelchairs.Contact: Claire Bylo,
Information Officer,Jorvik VikingCentre,
Coppergate, York,England YOl INT (tel)
0904-643211.
Lower Common Allotments, Bath, Avon
(March 21-mid April, 1986). Located outside the Romantown of Bath is an area that
was a common pasture during the Middle
Ages,revealingtraces of a Late Roman industrial or villa site and overlyingan early
Roman field and a Late Iron Age settlement. Numerousarchaeologicalattractions
in the Bath region. Getting there: Located
outside Bath; gate to allotment compound
100 yards past Marlboroughbuildingsfrom
main road. Appointment necessaryfor admissionand guide; accessibleby bus, train
and taxi(about £1.50) from train station to
Marlboroughbuildingson the Upper Bristol
Road; hotel next to site; restaurants and
hotels in Bath; site accessibleto persons in
wheelchairs.Contact: Peter Davenport, Instituteof Archaeology,36 Beaumont Street,
Oxford,England (tel) 0865-58850.
Meonstoke, Hampshire (SeptemberOctober 1986). Work on this site has
40

ARCHAEOLOGYTravel
Guide

Harlech
Mostof the time, a Mediaevalcastlewas a quiet place. Stewardsoversawthe
surroundingestate, resolvedtenant disputesand maintainedthe castle defenses.
Fcarabout a month everyyear,all that changed.The owner-king, earf orbaron would arriveto enjoy the pleasures of hunting in the localforests.The vast dining
hall,itswailscoveredwithtapestriesand its floorscatteredwith sweet-smelling
herbs,was a hiveof activity.The tableswere kept full,the firesand rush torches
kept ablaze.Guardrooms echoed withthe singingand mug-dashingof the garrison.
Such times contrasted sharplywith the harsh years of strifeand siege.Then provisions had to be used frugallyand the castle'scurtainwallhad to be reinforcedto
protect everyone- the wealthy,the peasants and the livestockalike.
Harlech Castle typifiesthe scale of fortificationsthat EdwardI deemed necessary
as he tried to conquer and then hold territoryin north Wales.Althoughbuilton a
natural strongpointof rockycliffsabove tide-washedsand dunes, it was designed
for yet more strength by its "walls-within-walls"
defensivesystem.The gatehouse
included many ingeniousanti-personneland anti-incendiarydevices.The Hall's
main timberswere plundered by the kingfromthe home of hisarch enemy,Llewellyn
ap Gruffyd.Yet even this massivestructure could not resistthe intensityof Owen
Glendower'srevoltagainstthe Englishin 1400. He overwhelmedHarlechin 1403,
and held it for sixyears until his cause ran out of steam, it stands today as a
silentwitnessto one of Britain'smost troubled times.
revealed a Roman building and a Saxon
settlementand cemetery.The Iron Age Old
WinchesterHillfort is nearby.Gettingthere:
Located 12 mileseast of Winchester,north
of Droxford on A32, between Alton and
Farcham.No appointmentnecessaryfor admissionor guide;accessiblebybus;campina
and accommodationsavailablenearby.Volunteers accepted; previous experiencepreferred; subsistence allowance paid for a
minimum stay of 2 weeks. Contact Mike
Hughes, CountyPlanningDepartment, The
Castle,Winchester; Hampshire,England(tel)
Winchester54411, ext. 641.
Norton Priory, Cheshire (All year, daily,
from 12 noon; closed December 24-26).
An Augustiniánchurch founded in a.D.1134
and dissolvedby Henry VIIIin 1536 is the
largestand most comprehensiveexcavation
of a Mediaevalmonasticsite in Britain.Visitors may enter a viewinggalleryoverlooking
the excavationremains. Later the site of a
Tudormansion,the complexalso containsa
restored Georgian country house ca. 1740
and woodland gardens. On-site museum
contains excavatedmaterial includingfloor
mosaictiles,pottery and artifactsdescribing
monastic life and crafts. Chester, Beeston
Castle and the beautiful Cheshire countryside are attractions in the vicinity.Getting
there:TakeM56fromManchesteror Chester
to Junction 12 and followsignsfor Runcorn
and then Norton Priory; from Liverpool
cross the Widnes-Runcorn Bridge,fork left
with A533 and follow signs. No appointment necessaryfor admission;appointment
necessary for guide; the Haddocks Wood
stop on the RuncornBuswayis a 10 minute
walkfrom the Priory (ServiceT4); hotels in
Runcorn and Halton; bed and breakfasts
available; camping 10 miles; site accessible
to persons in wheelchairs. Contact Sara
Muldoon,Norton PrioryMuseum,Warrington Road,Runcorn,Cheshire,EnglandWA7
IRE (tel) 09285-69895.
Feel Castle, Peel, Isle of Man (July-September 1986). The extensivehistoryof this
site is revealed by archaeologicalevidence
of prehistoric occupation, early Christian
and pagan Vikingcemeteries, and Mediaeval and post-Mediaevalbuildingswithin a

major castle. Manx Museum in Douglas,
CregneashVillaqe10 milesaway,The Grove
Museum 15 miles away,Castle Rushen in
Castletown,and manyprehistoricand Viking
sites are in the vicinity.Getting there: The
site is visiblefrom Peel Promenade and can
be reached on foot or by vehiclearound the
harbor orby a short ferry trip.No appointment necessaryfor admissionor guide; accessibleby bus; hotel % mileaway;camping
1 mile; Trie LivelyLobster Restaurant is in
Peel. Volunteersaccepted; beginners welcome. Contact: David Freke, Archaeological Services, EAU Old Hospital Annexe,
Universityof Liverpool,Liverpool,England
L3 (tel) 051-709-6022, ext. 2819.
Piddington Romano-BritishVillaand Late
Iron Age Site (Open Saturdays during
August, 1986 training excavations and
most Sundays throughout the year). This
site developed to a simplebuildingto a
of its economic and agricultura?activities.
Artifactsinclude the remains of metalworking, a corn drier, a hypocaust system, and
fine floors and wallplaster. Museums in
Northamptonincludethe Central Museum,
the Museumof Leathercraft,and the Abington Park Museum,a folklifecollectionin a
manor house once the home of Shakespeare's daughter. Gettingthere: Located 6
miles southeast of Northampton off the
B526 (Northampton-Newport Pagnell
Road) at Hackleton. From the Ml motorwayexitat Junction 15 for Northampton (7
miles to A508/B526) and Junction 14 for
NewportPagnell(12 miles).The site is difficult to find;detailed instructionson request.
Appointment necessaryfor admissionand
guide ifoutsideof excavationhours;accessible by infrequentbus from Northampton (7
miles) or Newport Paanell ( 12 miles) to
Piddingtonvia Wesleys/Yorksservice;train
to Northampton; taxi (about £3); hotels in
the towns; bed and breakfast available;
camping availablefor diggers during excavations; The French PartridgeRestaurantin
Horton (2 miles).Volunteersaccepted; beginners welcome; tuition fees for August.
Contact: Roy Friendship-Taylor
; Director,
ToadHall,86 MainRoad, Hackleton,Northampton, England NN7 2AD (tel) 0604 870312.

Archaeology Magazine - March/April 1986

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Archaeology Magazine - March/April 1986