A local farmer advised TAS of a mound in one of his fields. TAS set out to evaluate the mound for evidence of how it was formed. Earlier this year geophysical assessments were undertaken using resistivity and magnetomentry, these indicated anomalies in both geophysical surveys.
Today one of the anomalies and part of the mound was assessed by a test pit.
TAS members Mike and Keith locating the anomalies on the geophysical results to select sites for test pits.
A busy archaeology weekend saw mebers of the public expose more of the foundations of Eastwood House in Cheetham Park, stalybridge
Saturday saw the Manchester Young Archaeologist club open up their own area on the area of the main house trying to find the west wall.
The general public exposed the entrance to the main house overlapping excavations in 2014, with finds such as a mason mark in a stone and a fragment of a pilaster.
Many thanks to all the TAS members for helping out with the event.
Close up inspection of the entrance to the house.
Sun shines down on the various activites
Cellar evident under entrance to the house and external drain slot separating possible location of columns for entrance way
An open dig to all at Cheetham park, Stalybridge has been planned. The return to the site of Eastwood House will be trying to discover the main entrance to the orginal building.
The dig starts from 10am to 4pm.
Latest aerial combined images of the site.
Series of pits, post holes , stake holes, mound, hearth
Archaeomagnetic evlauation of hearth underway
Dear All,
the drying weather is making sand easier to hide from prying eyes…where is the rain when you want it?
Anyway..a series of pits have been appearing, the hearth has progressed with two 1/4 sections completed. And gratefully concentrations of late mesolithic flint now stirring. These contexts appear to have been cut by the large pits and post holes.
pit 1/4 sectioned overlain by late meso context
Pit cut by later ditch fully excavated
SO its about time humans makes a shout out from a certain prehistory phase.
Hearth 1/4 sections in progress
Hearty burnt deposits in SE quad.
Initial impression by Rosalind Mckenna (Environmental archeaologist) suggest that the wood was not oak.
Second concentration of charcoal from a hearth being preprared for the lift by Rosalind.
A visit followed prehistory finds from the latest TAS site in Tameside. The site was providing complex archaeology with mulitple phases dating back to the late mesolithic.
Norman Redhead from Greater Manchester Archaeological Advisory Service was appraising the new site following a visit by Dr Michael Nevell, head of Archaeology at Salford University recently.
Blustery conditions with Norman and Steve
Discussions over a series of post holes and linear stone features
After years of TAS excavating prehistury sites in Tameside, Mike and Steve TAS members within minutes of each other, find a burnt hazlenut on a site in Tameside. In prehistory this food source would have been a valuable source of protein. The uplands would have been covered with these shrubs/trees, with burning these they could then be stored for a linger period. In archaeoloigcal terms they impove the ability to date a site as they fruit is produced in one year and can be carbon dated. The hunt is on for more of these in the coming weeks.
Testing features, see hearth in foreground and ditch across the trench at the back with mike cleaning up a section.
