What are we doing?
Why are we working on this project now?
Estate
maps 1831, 1838, 1870
Estate
maps 1831, 1838, 1870This is an area we know very little about, so it's a great chance for us to find
out more. Investigating and conserving this area of the Water Garden is an action
in our World Heritage Site Management Plan; what we do in the future will depend
on what we find through this project.
In 2007 we experienced terrible flooding across the whole estate, but the area
around the Upper Canal and Quebec was particularly damaged.
What are we looking for?
The aims of our archaeological works are:
- To find out if any of the archaeological remains of the pond and islands survive
- To analyse the maps and compare these records with the excavation evidence
- To learn more about the landscaping methods of the Georgians
- To find out if there is any archaeology which needs protecting
- To look at what we might reconstruct in the garden
How will we do this?
We will use a range of archaeological techniques during the project. We'll start
by using digital technology to overlay the early maps to see how closely they
describe the same feature. We'll
then use this information and other clues
such as veteran trees
such as veteran trees to plot points on the ground using a laser theodolite.
Once we've plotted the likely locations of the ponds and islands, we'll start
digging our trenches for excavation. We'll record the excavations in drawings,
photographs and writing to support further analysis back in the lab once the digging
is over.
