SCARP (South Gloucestershire Community Archaeology Research Project) is a Heritage Lottery Funded project to help local groups research their historic environment, whilst providing the opportunity to engage in conservation of historic sites in South Gloucestershire.
South Gloucestershire Council has been given a development grant by the HLF to undertake a pilot study and to build this pilot up to a two year project. The two year project will involve the Community Archaeology Officer providing training and ongoing support to local archaeology societies in a range of non-intrusive archaeological techniques including earthwork surveying, geophysical surveying, historic building recording, field-walking and artefact assessment and also less physical activities such as documentary and map research. The idea behind the project is to give local groups the skills to undertake research into their historic environment so that they can make contributions to its understanding and preservation. South Gloucestershire Council, through the funding by the HLF, would provide a range of equipment for societies to borrow and in which they would be trained including geophysical survey equipment and total stations (EDM), as well as simpler recording strategies such as tapes and measures and dumpy levels.
In addition the project aims to establish a network of heritage wardens, people who undertake monitoring and conservation of heritage assets (buildings, archaeological sites, monuments etc) in the district. This could invovle simply monitoring the affects of erosion on a site in the local vicinity, but could also involve basic repairs and upkeep, such as removing vegetation from sites or repairing dry stone walls or lime mortar from historic buildings.
If you are interested in archaeology and want to start your own local archaeology group we can help. The Community Archaeology Officer will provide training and ongoing site assitance and guidance to groups in order to learn non-intrusive archaeological techniques.
But this is more than just getting groups to undertake archaeology, for the results they obntain from their research will be used in a variety of ways. It will be fed into the Historic Environment Record so that it can be used to better understand threats to archaeology in an area, but will also be used in a booklet and exhibition that will be produced. The booklet and exhibition will present a history of South Gloucestershire based on the result of local group work.
If you are interested in starting a group then contact Paul Driscoll on 01454 862175 or email paul.driscoll@southglos.gov.uk