October 12, 2021 - Zoom

London's Waterfront 1666 to 1800: an introduction to a large project 

John Schofield

This would include a first view of the post-Fire archaeology at Billingsgate in 1982 (with links to slavery) and a wider view of the archaeology of both banks of the Thames down to Deptford during this period.

  November 9, 2021

The EAS and Elsyng Tudor royal palace

Dr Martin Dearne, Fieldwork/Research Director, Enfield Archaeological Society

A summary of the activities of the EAS, focusing mainly on its long term excavations at, and documentary research into, the fifteenth to seventeenth century courtier's and later royal palace of Elsyng (in the grounds of Forty Hall, Enfield) which have focused especially on exploring one of the service wings of this large but little known house

  December 14, 2021

Where practice trenches meet Roman ditches: Roman and wartime archaeology at Royal Liberty School, Havering

Helen Chittock and Les Capon, AOC Archaeology

During 2019, AOC Archaeology undertook excavations at the Royal Liberty School in the London Borough of Havering. This site is home to Hare Hall, a Palladian mansion built in 1769-70, which has housed the school since 1921. Excavations uncovered evidence relating to the parklands and gardens of Hare Hall, in addition to a zig-zag shaped practice trench, dug during the site’s life as a World War I training camp for the Artists Rifles regiment. A programme of Historic Building Recording was also carried out on three structures of World War II date, comprising two civilian shelters and a probable minor defensive fortification. In addition to this more recent evidence, a series of Roman linear features were revealed, adding to understandings of Roman occupation in this part of eastern London. This lecture summarises AOC’s findings at the site, investigating its archaeology and history from the Roman period to the 20th century.

  January 11, 2022

Hillingdon’s Hidden History

Emma Tetlow, Skanska-Costain

Archaeological investigation ahead of the construction of HS2, has been ongoing from Euston to Ruislip since 2017.  This lecture will focus on the results of evaluation and mitigation in the London Borough of Hillingdon which has focused largely on greenfield.  Archaeological investigation across the Borough has yielded evidence from the Mesolithic to the Medieval Periods, the most significant current find is the Iron Age “Hillingdon Hoard” discovered in 2020.

  February 8, 2022

AGM and Presidential Address 

Gillian Tindall

  March 8, 2022

The Civil War Defences of London: Rewriting History (and Archaeology) 

Peter Mills and Mike Hutchinson, Mills Whipp Projects

Over many years archaeologists in London have felt increasingly uncomfortable with the suggested lines of the Civil War Defences, which have been based on an 18th century map. Where archaeologists expected to find the defences, they were conspicuous by their absence. Historic England sponsored MWP to undertake research into the defences, examining both the archaeological and documentary evidence. The results have been startling: almost every defensive line and fort has been misplaced. The initial results have led to a radical revision not only of the location of the defences but also their form and function. MWP will present a summary of the results.

  April 12, 2022

The Icehouse at Park Crescent West

Danny Harrison, MOLA

From 2015 to 2018, a standing building survey was undertaken in stages to record a near-intact late 18th-century subterranean icehouse to the rear of Park Crescent West, just to the south of Regent’s Park, London. The significance of the structure as the earliest known commercial-sized icehouse of its type in England was recognized early in the investigation and in October 2015 it was designated a Scheduled Ancient Monument. The icehouse was infilled with rubble in 1961 during the post-war reconstruction of the John Nash-designed crescent, which had been irreparably damaged by bombing during the war. This infill was removed over the course of the recent investigation, revealing a substantial brick-built ice well, 9.6m deep internally, along with a subterranean entrance passageway and adjoining vault. The talk will describe the icehouse and the historical context of its construction.

  May 10, 2022

Joint Prehistoric Society and LAMAS lecture - Hidden depths: revealing new insight into the archaeological human remains from the London reaches of the River Thames 

Nichola Arthur

Hundreds of human skeletal remains, many of which are Late Bronze Age or Iron Age in date, have been recovered from the London reaches of the River Thames over the last two centuries or so. Interpreting the presence of these remains has long posed a problem for archaeologists, and previous debates have focused on whether the majority reflect ritual deposition practices or the action of fluvial processes. This talk will explore how a large programme of research, which includes radiocarbon dating, osteological analysis, and stable isotope (δ13C, δ15N, δ34S) analysis, is revealing new insight into this assemblage and its deposition.