Cover Story
Appreciating the Slate Landscape of Northwest Wales On 28 July, UNESCO added the Slate Landscape of Northwest Wales to its list of World Heritage sites, which currently number 1,154. Chris Catling reports on the reasons for this inscription and marvels at the human ingenuity that has left… Features
Listed and lost: Cultural World Heritage sites in the UK This summer, the UK gained a new World Heritage site in the form of the Slate Landscape of Northwest Wales, but also saw Liverpool demoted from this status. CA considers… 
Anchor Church: The refuge of a 9th-century royal religious recluse? The rock-cut remains of Anchor Church, near Foremark in Derbyshire, have long been identified as an 18th-century folly. Recent analysis of the cave’s architectural features, though, has revealed clues to… 
Brewing up history: unearthing evidence for middle-Saxon malting at Sedgeford A long-running excavation in north-west Norfolk has revealed the remains of what is thought to be a middle-Saxon malting complex. Carly Hilts visited the site to speak to Eleanor Blakelock… 
The Long Man of Wilmington The origins of the imposing East Sussex hill figure known as the Long Man of Wilmington have long posed a mystery for archaeologists. Rodney Castleden discusses recent research suggesting a… 
Sussex: tracing the origins of a 175-year-old archaeology society Founded in 1846, Sussex Archaeological Society is one of the UK’s oldest county-based archaeology societies – but how did it begin? Carly Hilts spoke to Emma O’Connor to learn more… 
Birdoswald: exploring a Roman town on Hadrian’s Wall Birdoswald is one of the most-excavated Roman forts on Hadrian’s Wall, but the area beyond the fort walls has been investigated in much less detail. Following the launch of a… News
The earliest family photo from Stonehenge? A Victorian 3D image thought to be the earliest-known family photograph to have been taken at Stonehenge has been identified in the collection of Queen guitarist Dr Brian May. CA… 
Sorting Samian using pXRF In this month’s ‘Science Notes’ we explore recent research by Richard Jones and Louisa Campbell, whose aim was to assess whether portable X-ray fluorescence (pXRF) analysis can offer a quick… 
Roman origins revealed for statue of Alfred the Great The base was probably made in the late 1st or early to mid 2nd century AD by a Continental craftsman 
Digging returns to the Ness of Brodgar These are the first examples of wood surviving in situ to be found at the Ness. 
A ‘lost’ Anglo-Saxon monastery discovered in Berkshire During the excavation, the team uncovered some of the layout of the monastery, showing that it was organised into a series of zones that were demarcated by ditched boundaries. 
Three new Treasure finds in Wales 'The locations of these hoards are being carefully mapped to provide another piece of information in this jigsaw, so these finds are really important.’ 
Revealing a rich prehistoric landscape at Biddenham One of the most significant discoveries the team made was circular ditch monument. 
Early origins of Arthur’s Stone uncovered Arthur’s Stone is protected as a scheduled monument – it is famous for being the possible inspiration for C S Lewis’s ‘stone table’ in The Lion, the Witch, and the… Views
John Pull: Worthing’s hero archaeologist Museum, What's on Self-taught archaeologist John Pull made discoveries of national significance in the South Downs around Worthing, but his humble origins saw him sidelined by more privileged professional peers. With a recently… 
Heritage from home – September 2021 Museum, Places, What's on Across the UK, many heritage sites and museums are now welcoming visitors again, but if you’re still looking for activities and resources that you can take advantage of from home,… 
Finds tray: Roman candle-holder Objects Probably dating to the 2nd-3rd centuries AD, the holder is formed into a zoomorphic creature. 
Cromwell’s mansion: Austin Friars, City of London The Picture Desk This artist’s impression shows the scale of the 58-room mansion, with its halls, kitchens, and chapel, as well as the largest private garden in the city. 
Science versus The Arts Comment The heritage sector is central to the UK’s appeal as a tourist destination, which will be crucial in reopening our borders and rebuilding the economy as the COVID-19 pandemic is… 
Excavating Kent Comment, Places Large infrastructure projects have led to some remarkable discoveries down the years – think of Heathrow Terminal 5, as well as the more recent work along the route of HS2 
The Red Phone Box and Post Box Appreciation Society Groups This year marks the 100th anniversary of the telephone kiosk. Reviews
John Pull: Worthing’s hero archaeologist Self-taught archaeologist John Pull made discoveries of national significance in the South Downs around Worthing, but his humble origins saw him sidelined by more privileged professional peers. With a recently… 
Cumbria’s Prehistoric Monuments Adam Morgan Ibbotson has successfully brought together around 100 prehistoric sites from across Cumbria into a much-needed single volume. Home to a range of prehistoric monuments, Cumbria has more than… Heritage from home – September 2021 Across the UK, many heritage sites and museums are now welcoming visitors again, but if you’re still looking for activities and resources that you can take advantage of from home,… 
Mammoths and Neanderthals in the Thames Valley: excavations at Stanton Harcourt, Oxfordshire This book presents the results of excavations at the Dix Pit quarry near the village of Stanton Harcourt, Oxfordshire, which revealed one of the largest and most-remarkable Pleistocene assemblages yet… 
The Viking Great Army and the Making of England The arrival of the Viking Great Army on British soil in AD 865 had an immeasurable impact on England. No longer content with hit-and-run raids, this force – which was… 
50 Finds from Buckinghamshire: objects from the Portable Antiquities Scheme In this latest book in the 50 Finds series, Arwen Wood, Finds Liaison Officer for Buckinghamshire and Milton Keynes, presents Britain’s history through the objects found across the county and… 
Belonging and Belongings: portable artefacts and identity in the civitas of the Iceni Belonging and Belongings is the latest BAR publication in the Archaeology of Roman Britain series. Focusing on the portable archaeology of the ‘Iceni’, Natasha Harlow presents an enormous volume of… 
Brickmaking: history and heritage It is always interesting to find a new book about bricks. Often ignored, these little marvels need to be celebrated, and, for this reviewer at least, there can never be… 
From the editor
As things opened up again this summer, it has been wonderful to visit excavations and exhibitions again, to meet project directors and curators, and to see archaeological discoveries with my own eyes – what a difference a year makes. This month we have a number of shorter articles reporting on these trips – I have also been to Bath and, by the time you read this, will have visited digs in Winchester and Caistor St Edmund too, so watch this space for future coverage of these and other sites (have notebook, will travel!).
Our first feature takes us to Anchor Church, near Repton, where recent architectural analysis has revealed hints that the artificial caves may boast early medieval origins and links to a royal religious recluse.
Next comes news from visits to two summer digs: one exploring the extra-mural settlement at Birdoswald Roman fort on Hadrian’s Wall, and another at Sedgeford in north-west Norfolk, where a long-running project is uncovering traces of middle Saxon malting.
From there, we are marking the inscription of the UK’s newest World Heritage site: the dramatic landscapes associated with slate-working in north-west Wales. This month’s ‘In Focus’ ties into this theme, featuring the UK’s other UNESCO-recognised sites and how this status can be threatened or, in the recent case of Liverpool, lost.
Speaking of special status, this year marks the Sussex Archaeological Society’s 175th birthday, making it one of the oldest county-based archaeological societies in the country. We have been learning about its origins following a dramatic discovery at Lewes Priory, and the historic properties in its care; this is followed by a spotlight on one of its more enigmatic sites, the Long Man of Wilmington.
