Staffordshire firm helps archaeologists weather important dig

ARCHAEOLOGISTS preparing to start work on a unique prehistoric site have turned to a Staffordshire company to help ensure the success of the project.

Work is set to start on a nine-month excavation that will shed fresh light on life in Bronze Age Britain.

To protect the site during the dig, experts from the University of Cambridge’s Archaeological Unit are using an innovative structure provided by temporary buildings specialists Spaciotempo.

The project will take place at a quarry in Cambridgeshire, where a settlement has been found dating back to between 1000 and 800 BC.

Wooden buildings, which straddled a river, are believed to have been destroyed in a fire 3,000 years ago, but archaeologists say much of their contents have been preserved three metres below ground.

Excavation of the Must Farm site is expected to reveal an extraordinary time capsule of the period – providing a testimony to the lives of people in the Bronze Age unique to the UK.

The work is a joint project involving the University of Cambridge, Historic England and Hanson Building Products and the experts, including members of Cambridgeshire County Council’s Historic Environment Team, were determined to ensure the site is properly protected during the crucial excavation work.

Mark Knight, director of excavation for the Cambridge Archaeological Unit at the University of Cambridge, said: “This is a site of international importance and our findings will provide a fascinating insight into the lives of people in Bronze Age Britain.

“The sudden abandonment of the settlement, caused by the fire, followed by exceptional preservation provided by soft silt in the river means there is a real possibility of very exciting discoveries.

“The dig is expected to take nine months and we wanted to be certain the site would not be affected by weather during that time.

“Sun and wind would have a detrimental effect by drying out the mud, while rain and snow during the winter would be bad news for us too.

“So rather than use tarpaulin sheets, which can always be blown away, we wanted stronger and longer-lasting protection and Spaciotempo came up with the perfect solution.”

The company, based in Uttoxeter, is providing a made-to-measure temporary building which will stretch across the entire site for the duration of the project. Groundworks are being completed now and the structure will be in place by the end of August.

Scott Jameson, managing director of Spaciotempo, said: “The lay-out and topography of the archaeological site provided a real challenge, but we worked closely with the team to come up with a bespoke solution that met all their needs.”