In addition to our projects in Europe, Grampus also works on projects in the UK. We work in our local area with dedicated volunteers and welcome community involvement where ever we can.

On this page, you will find a brief description of each of our projects and a link to the report. This page will be updated with reports as they are completed.

From Spring to Winter 2007, Grampus worked with 40 volunteers to survey 250 Hectares of woodland, exceeding our target and giving us a lot of information about the Derwentwater woodlands.

Saw Pit	Building in Great Wood

 

Derwentwater Woodland Report	Figure 4
Site Gazetteer	Figure 5
Figure 1	Figure 6
Figure 2	Figure 7
Figure 3

In 2007 we carried out research and fieldwork in Whittas Park and Caermote Roman Fort. This research included topographic survey, geophysics and a Level 1 Landscape survey.

Cairn in Whittas Park	Cairn in Whittas Park

 

Report Cover	Figure 2
Main Body	Figure 3
North Pennines Excavation Report	Figure 4
Gazetteer	Figure 5
Figure 1	Figure 6

Over 2008 and 2009, we carried out survey and field work on Bleaberry Fell and Castlerigg. With the help of our volunteers, we set out to find a Medieval Manor or another Stone Circle. Although we did not find any indiction of a house or circle, a previously unknown Roman Camp was discovered near the Castlerigg Stone Circle.

Grampus team with some volunteers	Bleaberry Fell Survey

 

Castlerigg Final Report	Figure 4
Castlerigg Excavation Report	Figure 5
Figure 1	Figure 6
Figure 2	Figure 7
Figure 3	Figure 8 & 9

July & August 2009- A Magnetrometry survey was carried out at St Bega's Church, Bassenthwaite. The survey was being undertaken to try to establish whether or not there was a possible abandoned Medieval village to try to account for the church's isolated lakeside location. Unfortunately, the survey did not reveal any sign of a possible village due to the ploughing in the area. However, there was evidence of activity around the church found on the surface. Bloomery was found in 2 locations near the church, which is evidence of smelting.

Survey Areas	Bloomery Finds	Bloomery Finds

June to September 2010-After the floods in November 2009, members of the public came forward with Roman finds that were discovered walking the flood damaged field of Broomlands. As a result of the finds handed in and the interest they provoked, a magnetrometry survey lasting 6 weeks covering the Broomlands and fields north of the River Derwent was carried out with local volunteers. The results exceeded everyones expectations, showing that there had been a lot of activity on the flood plains of the River Derwent, including a road, possible amphitheatre and what looked to be a few buildings and ditches on the Broomlands field. The other fields also all have possible features in them which will hopefully be investigated in the years to come.

Following the survey was a 4 week long excavation. The trenches were planned out to target areas of the field that were hopefully going to provide us with the most information about the site. These included the possible amphitheatre along with several possible buildings and the road leading towards the river. All the trenches had archaeology in them which matched up to the survey results. Out of the eight trenches that were excavated, four were extended. One of the extensions was ordered after what was thought to be a trackway on the survey results turned out to be a wooden channel. It was this extension that revealed the watermill. The other trench extension revealed the foundations of a building which may have been a barracks, the third revealed burnt timber beam slots in situ and the fourth was a ditch that was very rich in Roman material.

Mill Trench	Recording Domestic Layers

 

Survey Report	Figure10, 11, 12
Preliminary Excavation Report	Figure 13, 14, 15
CWAAS Article	Figure 16, 17,
Figure 1, 2, 3	Figure 18, 19
Figure 4, 5, 6	Figure 20, 21
Figure 7, 8, 9	Figure 22

The Papcastle Excavation Report is a pdf and is 3MB big. This is the preliminary report and we will put up the complete report once we have received it.

The gallery is available here.

EXCITING NEWS!! We are very happy to announce that the Broomlands Community Excavation has been nominated in the Current Archaeology Awards category "Rescue Dig of the Year", after appearing in the magazine in an article written by Dr Lynda Howard in CA issue 255. To vote for the excavation, please click here to go to the Current Archaeology Awards web page. You will find the categories at the bottom of the page where each nominee has a selection box for voting.

This is great recognition for the hard work and dedication all the volunteers put into this excavation.

Together with the West Cumbria Archaeological Society, Grampus has been involved with ongoing survey and excavation at St Mary's Abbey, Holme Cultram, Abbey Town. Work has been taking place here since 2006. Excavations have revealed that although most of the stone from the Abbey has been moved and reused elsewhere, the foundation walls still survive. So far the Chapter house has been located as well as the south wall, south west corner and the inner wall of the Cloister. The Warming Room with its fire place and the wall of the Refectory have also been located.

Between 23rd July and 6th August, Grampus worked with WCAS members and volunteers on a site at New Cowper. This excavation finished 4 years work the Society has been doing in and around Abbey Town.The report is forthcoming.

 

 

 

 

Grampus applied for and was awarded funding to do further work in the area around Papcastle after the success of the Broomlands excavation in the summer of 2010. We have been granted funding to do 3 weeks excavation.

We have recently finished 2 weeks work at the bottom of Sibby Brow targeting one of the interesting areas of the survey results across the Derwent River from the Broomlands. It was a great success both in terms of volunteers who turned up and making the public aware of our project and what we are aiming to achieve. We have had several new volunteers register their interest in working with us in the future.

Trench 1	Trench 2

The first week saw 2 trenches being opened over targets chosen to confirm what the survey results were showing. Trench 1 was located over a large area of disturbance. When the trench was excavated, there were what appear to be ovens and occupation layers. From the eastern half of trench 1, lots of pottery was found within layers next to the ovens. A wide range of Roman pottery types were found which will help us give a date to the structure.

Trench 2 was postioned to establish whether there was any wall surviving in the north west corner of the structure or if it had been robbed out. The trench revealed that the lower courses of the wall have survived and that the corner and at least one internal wall survives in this corner of the building. Pottery was also found in this trench which will help dating the structure.

The second week saw 2 more small trenches being excavated to confirm that more walls have survived. Trench 3 was positioned just to the East of trench 2 and confirmed that the wall continues on. Trench 4 was positioned to the north west of Trench 1 and again showed that the walls have survived. Trench 4 caused a little bit of confusion as the wall does not show up on the survey results very clearly, so this will need to be investigated in the future if a correct layout of the structure is going to be produced.

Amphorae near hearths	Some of the finds

A very big Thank You to all our volunteers who helped us with this excavation, we really appreciate your dedication, especially when things got a bit "damp"!! A gallery of photos is available here.

We have just finished our last 6 days (14th - 19th November) in the Burroughs. We opened trench 5at the top of the field next to Salmon Lodge which unfortunately presented clean natural. We extended the trench in the hope we would catch something to the north of the trench but again clean natural presented itself. After discussion, it was decided to leave the trench until we could look at the survey results again. Trench 6 was in the bottom of the field near the River Derwent and revealed lots of pottery, parts of walls, areas of burning and some cobbling. This trench was also extended as we wanted to see as much as we could in the time available. This trench turned out to be full of archaeology and proved that the survey results were correct.

Trench 6	Trench 7

As we had so many enthusiastic volunteers, it was decided that another small trench was to be opened just to the east of the second trench over another anomaly on the results. Trench 7 revealed a cobbled surface, causing debate as to whether they were a road/pathway/floor surface. It was decided that the cobbles would be removed and slots put in to try and find the natural. In trench 6, natural was finally discovered over a metre below archaeological deposits. At the end of the excavation, we had not yet reached natural in the trench 7.

Thank you to all the volunteers who turned out in what was a glorious sunny and sometimes warm week for November. A gallery of photos from the excavation is available here.

The report for both the Cradles and the Burroughs is forthcoming.

Once again we wish to say a very big Thank You to the land owners and to all the volunteers who turned up to help us. During every excavation we are grateful for your help and hope you will continue to join us once we hear about the main project.

This page will be updated with new projects as and when we complete them.