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Plymouth Archaeology Society

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NEXT SITE VISIT

MONDAY 3rd JULY 2017

Monday 3rd July at 7:00 pm

An Exploration of The Upper Meavy Valley and Hart Tor with

Dr Tom Greeves

Cultural environmentalist Dr Tom Greeves will lead us across Walkhampton Common, from Princetown to Hart Tor and back, in the Upper Meavy Valley. This landscape contains a diverse and scattered selection of archaeological sites of all periods which includes prehistoric hut circles, tinners’ gullies, earthworks from a national exercise testing shells in the 1860s, and a 19th century rifle range. Dr Greeves has been researching and exploring the moor for many years and was the first Archaeologist to Dartmoor National Park Authority. The route is approximately 2.5 miles over rough moorland so please wear proper walking boots/shoes, and remember weather conditions on the moor can change quickly so please bring appropriate clothing. Meet at SX 589 734 in Princetown Pay & Display Car Park, PL20 6QF.

Plymouth Archaeology Society (PAS) consists mainly of amateur members with an enthusiastic interest in a wide range of archaeological disciplines. We wish to share our enthusiasm for archaeology in general and provide better knowledge and support for the abundant local sites in our area.

Visitors are invited to attend any of our regular meetings (coach trips require pre-booking) and we hope you will be tempted to become a full member. PAS is open to all to apply for membership (membership information).

P.A.S. organise monthly winter lectures by invited guest speakers (winter programme). The summer programme consists of visits to local sites of interest. These are usually guided by experts with local knowledge of the site concerned (summer programme). The summer programme is augmented by coach trips to sites a little further afield. These are usually day trips but can occasionally involve a weekend away.

We also organise workshops to benefit those with a practical interest in archaeology. In the past these have included - surveying for archaeologists, geophysics and pollen analysis (archaeology workshops).

Any damage or threats to archaeological sites should be reported urgently to either The City Archaeologist based in the Planning Dept (01752 305433) or the City Museum (01752 304774). Archaeological finds should be reported to the City Museum.

Our meetings are held on the first Monday of each month and start sharp at 7pm unless otherwise indicated. They are open to non-members (except where indicated below) but a £4 donation is requested to cover our expenses. Appropriate footwear & clothing must be worn.

Our walks are not suitable for dogs.

Ipplepen Excavations

Open Day Sunday 25th June

Many of you may be aware of the current archaeological excavations at Ipplepen, near Newton Abbot, a fascinating excavation of a multi-period site discovered in 2007. Recently, in March 2017, we had Dr John Davey of the project come talk to us about this site, and since the 5 June 2017 the current season of excavation got underway. An opportunity to visit the site, view the progress and meet the archaeologists, will be at the excavation Open Day this coming Sunday (25 June 2017), from 10:30 until 15:30. Previous open days have been very well attended, drawing in hundreds of visitors, and have showed the considerable enthusiasm for local archaeology in Devon. At this year's Open Day, you will be able to see the three trenches that are open this year (trenches 13, 14, and 15), have all brought up Roman era pottery, and appear to be providing further evidence of Roman trade and industry, with evidence for iron working, and another roundhouse suggesting multiple phases of occupation.

The Ipplepen Project is a partnership between the University of Exeter, Devon County Council, the British Museum and Teignbridge District Council. The project lead is Professor Stephen Rippon (UoE). Excavations at Ipplepen have been run as a field school for University of Exeter archaeology students since 2012, with some places also available for local residents. More information about the Ipplepen project can be found at both http://ipplepen.exeter.ac.uk/site/ and http://humanities.exeter.ac.uk/archaeology/fieldwork/ipplepen/videos/. You can also find them on Facebook - you don't need to register or log in to view their photos and updates: https://www.facebook.com/IpplepenArchaeology.

If you are unable to make the Open Day this Sunday, the Hub is open every week day situated at Ipplepen Methodist Church on East Street, between 10:00 and 16:00, until the 29 June with the end of this season of excavations.