The Copped Hall Trust Archaeological Project made good progress again this year. In August it took the form of a one-week training dig for complete beginners, followed by a one-week field school for people who already knew the basics.
The students ranged in age from school children to pensioners. Although most were from the locality, some came from farther afield, including five Americans who had come to this country especially for the dig.
The training, supervision and background support were provided by members of the West Essex Archaeological Group.
The former Rose Garden produced a surprising amount of Roman pottery from one of the “demolition backfill” layers, and the team digging it out were also rewarded at the last minute by the discovery of an in situ brick floor (shown in the photograph above).
The round feature at the northeast end of the Lower Great Lawn continues to puzzle us but we made good progress in establishing the base of the foundation wall, and in finding more surviving foundations, albeit under a rather recent services pipe.

Nicholas Bateson