Today has been a great day on site with lots of volunteers including a group from the young archaeologists club, organised by the Friends of Cannock Chase.
We have also had a huge number of visitors throughout the day.
This afternoon the last turf was lifted from the model and, despite some incorrect reports in local newspapers, the project is on schedule and the model will be ready for the 3D scanning team next week.
Site photography is now under way to record the archaeology and will also be used to create a texture for the digital recreation of the model. Though we hope the weather forecast for tomorrow is wrong as bright sunshine makes photography more difficult and slows progress was we have to use a shade screen to create flat areas of shadow.
According to original newspaper reports at the start, and the A4 info posters around the site, the recording and mapping was supposed to be last week, so surely the excavation is "running late" as it should all be finished by 29th, including recording? Isn't that why the Council emailed volunteers to ask if they could help this coming week?
ReplyDeleteGiven the amount that remains that has been discovered, it is fantastic there is slight overrun - after all, who could have predicted so much would remain prior to a spade being put into the ground on 2nd September?
We are delighted at the preservation of the model as much more has survived than we had all hoped, leading to an excellent learning experience for all involved.
DeleteWith respect to the confusion over dates: The excavation was always scheduled to be complete by the 29th of September and photographic recording and 3D scanning scheduled for the week beginning the Monday 30th, with photography to be conducted by members of No Man's Land and the 3D scanning team. In total the project spans 6 weeks, with one week to clear the scrub from the site, 3 weeks of excavation being open for volunteer participation, one week for archaeological recording and one week for installing the protection over the model and reinstating the heathland.
The excavation of the model was completed on time, finishing on the 29th and the decision to allow volunteers to assist with the final photographic clean was made in order to allow them to experience additional archaeological processes which are hardly ever shown on TV. The high quality of the work done by those who volunteered played a major part in the decision to allow them to undertake the final delicate work on the site and we would like to thank them for their dedication to ensuring that the work was completed to a high standard.
There is also an opportunity to volunteer during the process of protecting and recovering the model so that it will be preserved to the best of modern techniques for future generations. This process was scheduled to begin on Monday 7th October but has been delayed due to the filming schedule of the BBC1 programme Countryfile who wish to feature the model and the process of restoring the heathland following our excavation. We now expect the final week of work to begin on the 14th of October and will confirm this as soon as possible.