We are coming to the end of our first week back at Cresswell where we’re digging more trenches around the late 14th-15th century pele tower. This excavation is part of the Heritage Lottery Funded project which will restore the building and open it up to the public.
As usual the site has not disappointed and we’ve already discovered the foundations of a small brick and stone structure abutting the pele tower’s north side and thought to be associated with the 18th century mansion house. In another trench we have the stone foundation of a wall running underneath the pele tower but on the same alignment, and in yet another trench we’ve found evidence of a further wall with an associated metalled floor surface. We reopened one of last year’s trenches in order to complete the excavation of a large pit that had been filled with stones, including a large ochreous boulder, and succeeded in extracting some soil samples which we hope will provide the all-important organic material that can be radiocarbon dated.
Excavations will be continuing for another 3 weeks and we still have lots to do. Check back here for regular updates and photographs.