AUTUMN 2004 NEWSLETTER

Editor: Peter Pickering, Assistant Secretary of SCOLA
3 Westbury Road London N12 7NY
020-8445 2807. e-mail: pe.pickering@virgin.net

The annual SCOLA Newsletter is intended to keep members in touch with what we are doing and the problems we are addressing during an active year. The Committee is very grateful for members' continuing support. We need more local societies and London boroughs and, of course, individuals who want to help in our work. Do what you can to win them. Our finances are reasonably healthy; what SCOLA needs is a breadth of membership that will make it truly representative of archaeology in Greater London.

This newsletter starts with some announcements — especially the presentation of the London Archaeological Prize on 8th November, at which we hope to see many members; continues with notes on matters connected with the Greater London Authority and with national government policy; and finishes with some articles about archaeological work in the London area. We trust members will find it interesting and useful. Please let the editor know if you would like changes next year.

NOVEMBER 8th PRESENTATION OF LONDON ARCHAEOLOGICAL PRIZE

At 2 pm in the Meeting Room of the Society of Antiquaries, Burlington House. Members will recollect that SCOLA, in conjunction with London Archaeologist, offered a prize (£250 plus a certificate) for the best publication relating to archaeology in London that appeared in 2002 or 2003. We gave this wide publicity, and so were rather disappointed that we received only seven nominations, that none of them were for journal articles, and that most if not all were from people connected with the publication; we had hoped that readers would have been inspired to nominate something which had impressed them.

The publications nominated were:

An Introduction to Croxley Great Barn;
Investigating the maritime history of Rotherhithe: excavations at Pacific Wharf, 165 Rotherhithe St. Southwark;
Lambeth Unearthed;
London's Archaeological Secrets: a world city revealed;
Middle Saxon London: excavations at the Royal Opera House 1989-99;
The Millennium Book of All Saints Church, Foots Cray; and
Under Hackney.

We did not draw up a short list, and all the entries are being fully considered by the judging panel.

We plan. to complement the presentation with a cup of tea and with a lecture about the excavations which have been conducted in advance of the new Terminal 5 at Heathrow. We hope to see many members of SCOLA and its affiliated societies at the presentation. It would be helpful, but not essential, to tell me (020-8445 2807 or pe.pickering@virgin.net) in advance if you are coming so that we know roughly how many cups of tea to provide.

NEW SCOLA INITIATIVES

Although our income is not very large (£1,358 in 2003) most of our activities are inexpensive (our last expensive project was the PPG16 symposium in 2002), and we have therefore built up reserves of around £8,500. The Executive Committee believes that this money ought not to be hoarded, but spent in furtherance of SCOLA's objects, and so, besides the Archaeological Prize (see the last item), has decided to help financially the Central London Young Archaeologists Club, and to offer two bursaries to help young people afford the considerable cost of participating in training digs.

The Central London Young Archaeologists Club aims to provide a stimulating, entertaining and safe learning environment in which London children are encouraged to explore and develop a lifelong interest in their archaeological and historical heritage. The club is affiliated to the Museum of London and to the CBA's national Young Archaeologists Club. Its membership, of children aged between nine and fifteen years of age, is drawn from the inner London boroughs whose boundaries touch on the City of London — Westminster, Camden, Islington, Hackney, Tower Hamlets, Southwark and Lambeth. One of the club's key aims is for its membership to reflect the population profile of the Inner London area, and recently it has attracted new members via the Tower Hamlets Youth Inclusion Support Panel that identifies and supports young people who are deemed to be at risk of offending.

The club's base is at the London Archaeological Archive and Research Centre, and sessions are also held at the Museum of London and at venues in and around the London area. The club is completely run by volunteers who are from varied backgrounds; it has two leaders and a cohort of regular assistants, supplemented with help from occasional volunteers. There is no membership fee though there is a voluntary monthly contribution of 50p put towards refreshments and other costs. The club is therefore actively seeking finance from appropriate public and private sector sources.

In its first eighteen months of operation it received funding from the City law company, Slaughter and May; and the London and Middlesex Archaeological Society has more recently made a contribution. After full deliberation, and taking into account the special efforts the club is making to reach socially disadvantaged youngsters, the SCOLA Committee decided to give it £200 this year and also in 2005 and 2006. This will enable it to plan ahead with some confidence; we have also suggested various other possible sources of funds; we understand that CBA mid-Anglia, who have an observer on the SCOLA Committee, are also giving favourable consideration to assisting.

Full details of the bursaries scheme have yet to be worked out. It is clear, however, that nowadays there are not many opportunities other than training excavations for gaining proper hands-on experience of dirt archaeology. Training excavations now commonly cost over £150 for a week's participation, and this is a strain on the pockets of young people or their parents. The SCOLA Committee has therefore decided in principle to provide two bursaries of £150 to enable someone under 18 on 1st September 2005 to take part in a training excavation in 2005. Holders of bursaries will be expected to write a short paragraph on their experience for this newsletter. SCOLA's constitutional objects will obviously require a London connection, but we do not intend the criteria to be overly restrictive. The scheme will be well advertised, and should bring SCOLA welcome publicity.

SCOLA WEBSITE (www.scola.org.uk)
by Gerry Moss

Work is in progress to enhance the web site with more details of our activities. It now includes our responses to the consultations on PPG16, Ecclesiastical Exemption, and Protecting our Historic Environment, as well as correspondence with the mayoral candidates. Copies of recent Newsletters have been added. A list of links to sites relevant to the archaeology of London is being constructed. Suggestions for additions are welcome to g.p.moss@qmul.ac.uk.

MUSEUM OF LONDON
notes by Hedley Swain

1. ARCHAEOLOGICAL RESOURCE CENTRES

A Day Conference at the Museum of London, 27th October 2004.

For several years the idea of archaeological resource centres has been put forward as a possible solution to several of the challenges currently facing English and indeed European archaeology. Such centres could provide a cost-effective and accessible home for archaeological archives and finds. They could also act as regional research centres and coordinate educational and outreach services. What though are the practicalities of such centres? How might they be funded and sustained, and how would they interact with existing provision such as local museums, Historic Environment Records and contracting units?

Through a series of short presentations from those representing the different sectors of the archaeological community, and discussion periods, this day will explore some of the concepts behind the idea of resource centres and develop ideas for how they might work at a practical level.

The conference is being organised by the Society of Museum Archaeologists and the Archaeological Archives Forum (more information about these bodies is obtainable on www.socmusarch.org.uk and www.britarch.ac.uk/archives respectively). It will be held at the Lecture Theatre of the Museum of London, London Wall. Admission is free but must be booked. To book your place contact:

Hedley Swain
Resource Centre Day
Museum of London
London Wall
London EC2 5HN
Or email hswain@museumoflondon.org.uk

2. THE POLITICS OF HUMAN REMAINS AND MUSEUM PRACTICE:

Ethics, Research, Policy and Display. A Two Day International Symposium organised by the Museum of London, at the Museum in Docklands, No 1 Warehouse, West India Quay, Hertsmere Road, London E14 4AL 30th and 31st October 2004

Ethics, archaeology, ethnography and museum practice collide over the subject of human remains. Questions of how to treat, preserve, store, display and interpret human remains, and issues of ownership make the subject a vexed political and cultural landscape where research and presentation are pitted against moral validity. This symposium moves the debate away from the impossible task of trying to satisfy these contradictory demands, and all the contentions these demands hold, to moving forward respectful of the integrity of each side's position.

This two-day international symposium brings together key speakers from Australia, South Africa, America and Europe to look at how the debate can be progressed against a background of numerous policies and approaches.

For further information about the symposium see the Museum of London website www.museumoflondon.org.uk. Or write to

Hedley Swain
Human Remains Symposium,
Department of Early London History and Collections
Museum of London
London Wall
London EC2 5HN

3. 'BIOGRAPHIES OF LONDON LIFE (1600-PRESENT)' the archaeology of Londoners and their possessions.

During the past year the Museum of London has embarked on a project to examine 17th to 19th century Londoners at the household level as reflected by their changing material culture. This was developed through a working party, of staff from the Museum, the London Archaeological Archive and Research Centre, Museum of London Specialist Services, and the Museum in Docklands. Academics from British and Australian Universities were also consulted.

The project's chronological remit is, loosely, 1600 onwards, thus framing the transition from London as a major European trading centre at the beginning of colonial expansion to its emergence as the capital of the British Empire, and including diverse events as significant to its development as the Great Fire of London, the Blitz, and the landing of the Empire Windrush.

The Museum of London has the single largest and most important collection of post-medieval archaeological material available for analysis in Britain. These collections represent not only the archaeology of London, but also the archaeology FROM London — a global compatibility exists between their material and that found from sites around the world. However, the study of the archaeology of the recent past, in particular urban histories, has been largely driven by researchers in the United States and Australia. Despite the compatibility of study between Britain, and those countries across the globe that have been influenced by Britain, the Museum has yet to convert this into a coherent umbrella framework, and to identify clearly the research questions that can be asked of this material. A London-focused project that tackles the fundamental issues surrounding the study of this period would be of interest to many historical archaeologists — whether in Bristol, Rhode Island or Zanzibar.

The Museum is therefore uniquely positioned: it has both the collections (held in the London Archaeological Archive and Research Centre) and the staff with the necessary expertise to act as a hub not only for London, but also for Britain and other countries around the world. It can fill this 'missing link' by creating an innovative research project — the 'biographies of London life' — that draws together archaeological and historical evidence and therefore sets the academic archaeological agenda, which remains to be written, for the study of this period in Britain.

This project is designed to unpick the diversity of post-medieval urban life such as ethnicity, class, difference of gender and occupation — the texture of London life. Studying Londoners at the household level by combining history and archaeology also provides the opportunity to take post-medieval archaeology to local communities and thus to enhance the awareness and appreciation of current environments through examining the recent past.

The project will make this past easily accessible by multi-disciplinary methods for the benefit of all contributors. In this fast-changing and exciting research environment, the Museum can contribute to the building of a 'critical mass' within an increasingly international discipline.

The academic foundation of this project is constructed around developing two models — one for the recording and integrated study of post-medieval household assemblages, and the other in delivering this through a series of accessible formats. It is intended to pilot and test these approaches over a two-year period. Although these are principally academic objectives, the project has a wider applicability and scope. Once the overall methodology has been defined and tested, a number of community, workshop and outreach schemes can be developed.

Several small pilot projects are now running for London Biographies. Funding is being sought in partnership with partner universities for larger projects. The Museum has produced one of its occasional 'Research Matters' leaflets on the project, and copies of this are available from Hedley Swain at the Museum.

THE GREATER LONDON AUTHORITY

Ken Livingstone has been re-elected Mayor of London for four more years. Members will recollect that in June our Chairman, Ian Longworth, wrote to the main candidates and received a significant reply from some of them, including Mr Livingstone. Mr Livingstone said:-

1. LONDON PLAN

Mr Livingstone was right in drawing attention to the changes made between the Draft London Plan and the final version. In the draft, the significance of archaeology was given virtually no recognition except in the context of the so-called Blue Ribbon — London's waterways. There is now a specific policy for archaeology in the whole of London (4B.14). SCOLA can, we believe, claim some of the credit for this change of heart by the Mayor. What is now essential is to hold the Mayor and the boroughs to this policy, to quote it whenever something undesirable seems to be afoot, and to use it as a touchstone by which to judge the Local Development Schemes which London boroughs will be producing over the next few years.

Here are the policies in the London Plan of direct concern to SCOLA:-

Policy 4B.10 London's built heritage

The Mayor will work with strategic partners to protect and enhance London's historic environment. UDP policies should seek to maintain and increase the contribution of the built heritage to London's environmental quality, to the economy, both through tourism and the beneficial use of historic assets, and to the well-being of London's people while allowing for London to accommodate growth in a sustainable manner.

Policy 4B.11 Heritage conservation

Boroughs should:

Policy 4B.12 Historic conservation-led regeneration

The Mayor will, and boroughs should, support schemes that make use of historic assets and stimulate environmental, economic and community regeneration where they: bring redundant or under-used buildings and spaces into appropriate use; secure the repair and re-use of Buildings at Risk; help to improve local economies and community cohesion; fit in with wider regeneration objectives; promote inclusiveness in their design.

Policy 4B.13 World Heritage Sites

The Mayor will work with the relevant boroughs, English Heritage and site owners and occupiers to prepare management plans for London's World Heritage Sites. Unitary Development Plans (UDPs) and management plans should protect their historic significance and safeguard, and where appropriate enhance, their settings.

Policy 4B.14 Archaeology

The Mayor, in partnership with English Heritage, the Museum of London and boroughs, will support the identification, protection, interpretation and presentation of London's archaeological resources. Boroughs in consultation with English Heritage and other relevant statutory organisations should include appropriate policies in their UDPs for protecting scheduled ancient monuments and archaeological assets within their area.

2. CULTURAL STRATEGY

The Draft Cultural Strategy as produced by the Mayor virtually ignored archaeology and history, despite a few token references to archives. This was particularly disconcerting since the governing Act envisaged a significant place for the heritage and related matters in the strategy, and the Cultural Strategy Group, which advised the Mayor on the draft, included an archaeologist, Mike Webber of the Museum of London. SCOLA made several forthright comments on the draft. Gratifyingly, the final version gives the Museum of London a distinctly higher profile and includes the sentence "London's archaeological resource is the result of over 3,000 past excavations which totals almost 120,000 boxes of objects, and is three times larger than any other resource in Britain." This is welcome so far as it goes; but the Strategy still seems to treat culture as a business or professional activity, with the general public as audience or assisting as volunteers — but surely much cultural activity is actually produced by unpaid individuals doing their own things together, for instance in local archaeological societies.

The Mayor proposes to establish a Cultural Consortium, to help in the implementation of the Strategy; it is likely to have on it English Heritage and the Heritage Lottery Fund, which should ensure that archaeology is not ignored. We are trying to get SCOLA recognised as a stakeholder, and involved in the work of the Consortium, perhaps through the reference groups that will be set up.

REFORM OF THE PLANNING SYSTEM

The new Planning and Compulsory Purchase Act is replacing the system under which each London borough had its own Unitary Development Plan, very recently overlaid by the Mayor's Spatial Development Strategy (or 'London Plan'). Each borough, like local planning authorities elsewhere in England and Wales, will in future have to prepare a Local Development Scheme, under which there will be Local Development Documents setting out the borough's policies relating to the development and use of land in its area, and including a 'Statement of Community Involvement'. The Statement of Community Involvement will set out the standards to be achieved by the borough in involving the community in the preparation, alteration and continuing review of all local development documents and planning applications. It is to be a clear public statement enabling the community to know how and when they will be involved and consulted. It should identify the community groups that need to be involved and the techniques required to involve them effectively, both informally and formally.

Among the Local Development Documents will be a 'core strategy' setting out the key elements of the planning framework for the area. It will comprise a spatial vision and strategic objectives for the area, a spatial strategy, core policies, and a monitoring and implementation framework with clear objectives for achieving delivery. It must be kept up-to-date and, once adopted, all other development plan documents must be in conformity with it.

The core strategy is to set out the long term spatial vision for the authority's area and the strategic policies required to deliver that vision. It should seek to implement the spatial and transport policies of the regional spatial strategy (i.e., for London, the Mayor's London Plan) and incorporate its housing requirement. It should set out broad locations for delivering the housing and other strategic development needs such as employment, retail, leisure, community, essential public services and transport development.

These documents will be subject to independent examination and the Inspector's decision will be binding on the borough. Local archaeological societies and other SCOLA members should discover what their own authority is doing and try to ensure that the documents they prepare give sufficient attention to the historic environment. Specific mention of the historic environment in government guidance hitherto seems limited; but there are openings which local societies can use to get it better recognised.

REVISITING PLANNING POLICY GUIDANCE (PPG16)
on Archaeology and Planning

In 1995 SCOLA published two documents assessing the effectiveness of PPG16 since its introduction in November 1990. These publications, 'Archaeology and planning in London — Assessing the effectiveness of PPG16' by McCracken and Phillpotts and 'Archaeology and Planning in London — the Effectiveness of PPG16' sought to establish the impact of this guidance in its first five years. In March 2002 SCOLA organised a Symposium on PPG16.

There have been many changes since 1995, not all for the better, and this is of continuing concern to the SCOLA's Executive Committee. There are now many more units working in Greater London but the number of Local Planning Authorities employing specialist planners dealing with 'heritage' issues has declined. The lack of synthesis and the lack of policing of standards continue to be problems, while the consequences of the lack of clear and proper provision for publication and archiving within PPG16 rules are increasingly severe. There is also too little involvement by the public and by the academic community, and inadequate feedback between the contractors, curators and planners on the one side and those producing research agendas on the other. These are issues which SCOLA will try to address during the next year.

For some time we have been expecting consultation on a revision of PPG16, perhaps combining it with PPG15 (on Planning and the Historic Environment). But following extensive consultation on the future of the regime for listing historic buildings, scheduling ancient monuments and designating other heritage features in various ways, the Government has published its Review of Heritage Protection: The Way Forward. This envisages further primary legislation and no change is to be expected in PPG16 until after that has gone through Parliament. The delay may leave our two PPGs as isolated monuments of a past era, since the other PPGs are being replaced by Planning Policy Statements (PPSs).

SURREY ARCHAEOLOGICAL SOCIETY 1854-2004
by Dennis Turner

This year the Surrey Archaeological Society has been celebrating the 150th anniversary of its formation and has been running well-supported 'special events' at the rate of more than one per month throughout the year.

The Society was established 'for the investigation of subjects connected with the history and antiquities of the County of Surrey'. The objectives remain substantially the same and the Society still covers the historic county to the Thames at Southwark and Bermondsey. Formal inauguration of the Society actually took place at a meeting in Southwark, and the Society played a leading role in excavations in the Borough in the 1940s and from the 1960s onwards. These activities led to the Society's participation in setting up SCOLA.

The Surrey Archaeological Society met the challenges posed by the enormous pace of urban renewal and the construction of motorways in the 1970s by appointing, with external funding, an archaeologist (later to become the Surrey County Archaeologist) and by establishing teams to work on the route of the M25 and in SW London. As public bodies became more directly involved in rescue archaeology, the Society's SW London team was taken over by the Museum of London. Subsequently a number of training excavations have been run for amateurs by the Society and a major 'plundered' Roman site at Wanborough was rescued. As a result of its experiences at that site, the Surrey society played a leading role in promoting the Treasure Act of 1996 and in establishing the Portable Antiquities scheme.

The Society also actively supports local history and industrial archaeology. A separate meetings stream concentrates on the latter and a local history symposium is arranged each October at Chertsey: the topic this year is 'Surrey Newspapers'. The Society is also currently a partner in an important dendrochronological research programme studying the timber-framed buildings in the county with the help of Lottery money.

In May this year, the Society celebrated the anniversary of its inauguration with a meeting and book-launch at Southwark Cathedral Chapter House. In June (before the rains came) a 'Victorian' Garden Party was held at the kind invitation of Mrs Sarah Goad, Lord Lieutenant of the county and grand-daughter of Uvedale Lambert, the well known Surrey historian. Still to come is the Anniversary Dinner on 27th November at Epsom, with Professor Martin Biddle as guest speaker.

THE GREATER LONDON ARCHAEOLOGY ADVISORY SERVICE
by Rob Whytehead

This summer has seen a continuous flow of planning applications being made, but perhaps fewer translating into active fieldwork. There are a number of ambitious tall buildings schemes, particularly to achieve the Mayor's residential building densities, and these take some time to get through the planning process.

The rapid implementation of the Environmental Impact Assessment for the Olympics Bid was a challenge for all parties, (MoLAS, PCA and English Heritage), to prepare and comment on within the timescale. Meanwhile English Heritage has commissioned a rapid Characterisation of the entire Thames Gateway regeneration area, to influence the implementation of the ambitious plans of the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister to provide the houses needed for the expansion of the south east. It is hoped that this will be taken on board by the Urban Development Corporations, and other bodies charged with steering the regeneration through. Further infrastructure will be needed to support these areas, and we have commented on the Environmental Impact Assessment for the proposed new Thames Bridge.

Mark Stevenson has successfully steered through a bid to the European Union for funds under the Interreg IIIC scheme, with other partners, linking the Woolwich Arsenal with similar sites in Malta, Spain, Estonia, and Denmark. SHARP — the Sustainable Historic Arsenal Regeneration Programme — will look at common regeneration themes such as the reuse of historic buildings, industrial archaeology, decontamination, and encouraging public access.

Notable archaeological discoveries recently have been the identification of an apparent Roman road at Beaumont Road Estate, Leyton (PCA), on the putative line of a road from Whipps Cross to Temple Mills; and the discovery of Bronze Age timbers in the Lea Valley, at Glover Drive, Edmonton, that are being interpreted as a possible 'crannog'.

Meanwhile the future location of the Greater London Archaeology Advisory Service (including the Greater London Sites and Monuments Records) is still under review, with an external review about to be commissioned, leading to considerable uncertainty. Nick Truckle has left us, after over 6 years hard work advising the north east London boroughs. A post to replace him has been advertised, with the hope that it will be filled in November. Our latest Quarterly Review (May-July 2004) has been delayed, but is available by e-mail on request.

The London Region of English Heritage, part of the Planning and Development Department, is being re-organised as a whole, with the post of Regional Director vacant and being advertised. The Historic Buildings Inspectors and Historic Areas Advisers are to be re-organised from 3 into 4 teams, each with a team leader. These will report to a Head Team Leader, Paddy Pugh, who will report to the Regional Director. Others in the Region, such as strategic planners and GLAAS, will report direct to the Regional Director.

The former Regional Director, Philip Davies, has been promoted to 'Territorial Director — South' overseeing the work of the South East and London Regions. He will report to the departmental Director, Steve Bee. Certain aspects of the Department's activities, such as Heritage Protection (headed by Roger Bowdler), and financial management, will be brigaded at this Territorial level. Management of our Historic Properties — as 'Visitor Operations' — is now within the Properties and Outreach Department. The Research and Standards Department, including English Heritage's national archaeology remit, is being re-organised; details should be available shortly.

NOTE BY EDITOR:

According to Dr Thurley, its Chief Executive, the aim of the re-organisation is to make English Heritage "a sharper, fitter, faster-acting and more client-focussed organisation . . . setting standards and promoting best practice and making sure that the benefits of a healthy historic environment are understood at the heart of government." SCOLA is particularly concerned at the uncertainty being faced by the Greater London Archaeology Advisory Service, and will press to be fully consulted in the course of the external review.

HERITAGE LINK

Heritage Link's first formal publication Recharging the Power of Place: valuing local significance, was published on 7th August. It received widespread national and local media coverage. The joint study by Heritage Link, the National Trust and Campaign to Protect Rural England called for greater recognition and protection for the heritage all around us, not just the assets with statutory conservation protection. Championing the role voluntary organisations can play in this cause, Anthea Case, Chairman of Heritage Link, said "Local communities attach enormous pride to features of the local historic environment — their value needs to be recognised and understood as does the role of the voluntary sector in helping identify and 'give voice' to this passion for local places."

The three organisations called for local communities' experience, knowledge and views about their local environment to be at the heart of decision making; for widespread use of consultation techniques to engage people in planning the future of their areas; for landscape and townscape characterisation to be an integral part of planning; for a conservation-led approach that recognises value in assessing what we have, before deciding what to change; and for recognition and protection for local valued heritage within the new planning systems and Heritage White Paper.

The report has been sent to central, regional and local government, their agencies, and voluntary and commercial organisations. A digital copy of the publication is available on the Heritage Link website and hard copies are being distributed to Heritage Link members. Further copies from Dominique Abranson, CPRE, 128 Southwark Street, London SE1 0SW or dominique.abranson@cpre.org.uk

ARCHAEOLOGY IN SCHOOLS

Members will probably be aware that the one examining body (AQA) which has hitherto examined archaeology at GCSE level has recently announced that it will discontinue offering this (and a number of other minority subjects — most if not all of which are, however, still being offered by one of the other examining bodies). This announcement has caused consternation in the archaeological community; the Council for British Archaeology is actively pressing the examining body to change its mind, and the Government to use its influence to get it to do so. Of course, if it is not possible to sit a GCSE exam in archaeology, no pupils will study it in their middle years at school, and a way of instilling an informed interest in archaeology in young people will be lost.

SCOLA has lent its support to the campaign, and individual members may wish to do so too. The relevant addresses are:-

Mike Cresswell, Director General AQA, Stag Hill House, Guildford, Surrey GU2 7XJ
Ken Boston, Chief Executive QCA, 83 Piccadilly, London W1J 8QA
Charles Clarke, Secretary of State, Department for Education and Skills, Sanctuary Buildings, Great Smith Street, London SW1P 3BT
(The QCA is the Qualifications and Curriculum Authority, whose job it is to oversee the curriculum at 14+.)
It will still be possible to take archaeology at AS and A2 levels, which, incidentally, SCOLA Committee member Scott McCracken teaches at Richmond upon Thames College.

EDUCATIONAL COLLABORATION
by Don Cooper

Students are just now entering the fourth year of a course that is a joint venture between Birkbeck College and Hendon & District Archaeological Society (HADAS). The aim of the course is to reassess and write up the excavations carried out in Hendon by the society during the 1960s and 70s. It is an accredited course at a post-diploma level and carries thirty Credit Accumulation and Transfer (CATS) points.

The course has two elements. The first element involves lectures given by professional archaeologists from the Museum of London's Specialist Service (MoLSS) under the direction of Jacqui Pearce. These lectures are directed towards post-excavation analysis topics such as finds processing, artefact analysis, researching archives, excavation report writing, etc. The second element involves the practical handing of the artefacts and analysing the records surviving from those early excavations. Lectures on particular topics such as post-medieval pottery are followed by practical handling and recording of post-medieval sherds from the excavations. It is hoped that the results will be published either as monographs or in an appropriate journal and the archive deposited with London Archaeological Archive and Research Centre.

There are distinct benefits from this type of approach. The students learn the skills and techniques of post-excavation analysis from professional practitioners. They apply those skills and techniques to practical physical examples and as the course is run locally the travelling time to 'lessons' is kept to a minimum. London archaeologists in general and the people of Hendon in particular will benefit from the long-overdue publication of these old excavations. Many of the students are HADAS members and the society is already reaping the benefit of having well trained activists.

THE LONDON HISTORIC ENVIRONMENT FORUM
by Michael Hammerson

There is currently great pressure for renewal, regeneration, and housebuilding. There is also a belief that housing can be provided without building over tracts of countryside. Some developers argue from this that houses with large gardens or any land with buildings on it — even historic buildings or Conservation Areas — may be redeveloped to high density.

There seems also to be a tendency to denigrate the historic environment as somehow standing in the way of economic progress. To advocate 'heritage' as a vital feature of our living and social environment risks accusations of being opposed to growth and regeneration, and indifferent to the social problems afflicting our many areas of urban decay and deprivation.

We all know that this stereotyped image is wrong, and its proponents all too prepared to sacrifice real 'quality of life' for short-term aims and gains. Recent English Heritage and National Trust polls show clearly that the great majority of people believe that the historic environment is of importance to them and their children, that there is not 'too much preservation', and that conservation and renewal can go hand in hand. People do not object to good modern development. However, they do object strongly to what they see as rubbish, and the failure of planners to exercise their powers to refuse planning consent on grounds of poor design.

The new Planning and Compulsory Purchase Act 2004 for the first time recognises the importance of community involvement in planning, and requires local authorities to produce 'Statements of Community Involvement'. These could be a significant step towards giving local people a voice in what is done in their areas — but their effectiveness will depend on individual local authorities. The Local Government Association is looking at producing recommended minimum national standards for Statements of Community Involvement; without these, there may be no change for the better.

This all makes it the more important that the true value of our Historic Environment be urged as widely as possible, especially on decision-makers, the sceptics and the ignorant, and that the stereotypes beloved of its detractors be dispelled. There is much that individuals, including SCOLA members, can do; it is important that you ascertain as soon as possible from your local authorities when they intend to produce Statements of Community Involvement, and ask to be fully involved in the consultation process.

English Heritage have set up Historic Environment Forums in each of its regions. SCOLA is one of two voluntary sector representatives on the London HEF; the other is the London Forum of Amenity and Civic Societies (which which Peter Pickering and I are also closely involved, and which represents the views of some 100,000 Londoners). Also on this group are the Museum of London Archaeology Service, the Heritage Lottery Fund, the National Trust, the Royal Parks, Visit London (formerly the London Tourist Board), the Corporation of London, the Government Office for London, the Greater London Authority, the Association of London Government and English Heritage. We are fortunate to be part of a small but select company.

The Forum has commissioned and steered a report, aimed particularly at decision-makers and sceptics, to underline the social, economic and educational value of the historic environment and the need to give it equal weight in preparing development plans and strategies. Work by the National Trust in the north of England, showing that the 'heritage' is an important element of employment and the economy there, has provided useful background data. The information-collecting phase of the work was carried out by planning consultants Lichfields, but the Forum decided that the collation of the material into a report was not going in the direction it had envisaged, and the final compilation is now in the hands of consultancy Urban Practitioners, who aim to produce a final draft by November. It aims to be comprehensive and convincing, and will:-

- build an evidence base, draw lessons and identify opportunities;
- analyse existing policy documents governing the heritage;
- emphasise what an undervalued resource the heritage is (there have been no official studies) and list its real social and environmental benefits;
- emphasise it as a tool for cultural regeneration, with the diversity of its buildings, the adaptability of historic buildings, its value for tourism (there is, surprisingly, no official quantification) and producing local distinctiveness;
- cover its contribution to sustainable development;
- cover its economic value (visitors, job creation, attracting investment, etc.);
- cover its social value (civic pride, education, local identity, better communities);
- list the environmental benefits (parks, conservation of resources, biodiversity, providing high density development (e.g. the Georgian squares);
- include a range of case studies, covering historic buildings at risk and their restoration;
area regeneration and re-use; historic parks and open spaces; public access; investment in the public realm; innovative housing solutions; and social inclusion.

On this may well depend our ability to argue convincingly for the value of the historic environment, in the face of those who denigrate and stereotype heritage and its advocates. SCOLA members can help by making their local planners, councillors, MPs — and developers — aware of the report, and of the importance of our historic environment. The heritage movement has perhaps been somewhat too convinced of the right of its own cause in the past and has not sufficiently recognised that many do not see it that way. SCOLA members can play their role in promoting the value of the heritage locally, particularly among ordinary members of the public; politicians may be more likely to recognise the historic environment if there could be votes in it.

Representing SCOLA on LHEF has been a stimulating experience. It has also been involved in helping to draft English Heritage's 2004 London edition of their annual report on the state of the historic environment, Heritage Counts. We have had presentations on promoting London abroad from 'Team London', on English Heritage's landscape characterisation programme for the massive Thames Gateway redevelopment area (originally seen by planners as an archaeological desert, whereas it is in fact immensely rich in buried landscapes and historic towns), and from "Visit London".

We received an approach from the London Borough of Bexley, which is keen to ensure that the Borough's historic heritage is an integral part of its ambitious tourism strategy. At a fascinating meeting with the Borough and the local civic society at Hall Place, Bexley's magnificent Tudor mansion — well worth a visit — we made a number of suggestions for their strategy, which seem to have been appreciated. It would put the historic environment firmly on the agenda if the Forum could develop a similar relationship with other Boroughs. SCOLA members might like to make sure that their own boroughs are aware of the Forum's existence.

MERTON PRIORY — UP-DATE
by Dennis Turner

All archaeological excavation on the Merton priory site has now ceased and construction work on the mixed development started in earnest in April.

The only visible structures that survive from the medieval priory are the remains of the Chapter House and a length of precinct wall. The excavated Chapter House footings were specially retained in situ some years ago in an unattractive vault beneath the major Merantun Way (A24), overlooked by the gaunt Savacentre building. The Merton Priory Trust has been formed with the aim of caring for the Chapter House remains and creating a suitable interpretation centre. This presents a considerable challenge in view of the restricted space available, the proximity of an electricity supply pylon and the current planning permission for a fast-food outlet close by: very close by.

If a satisfactory scheme can be formulated, the Trust will be the beneficiary of Section 106 funds from the developer. However a consultant's report commissioned by Merton Borough demonstrated that these monies will not be sufficient to build a viable centre and a 'two-stage' lottery bid is under preparation. This is proving a lengthy and complex process.

The Trust is chaired by Marcus Beale, an energetic local architect. Dennis Turner (currently a member of SCOLA's executive committee) represents the Merton Borough Conservation and Design Advisory Panel on the trust. John Schofield attends trust meetings as an observer and offers advice on behalf of the Museum of London.

TRAINING EXCAVATION AT COPPED HALL, ESSEX
by Nicholas Bateson

Copped Hall is located on a spur off the northern slopes of the Epping Forest ridge. It lies between Upshire and Epping, and the fire-damaged Georgian mansion with Victorian additions ("New Copped Hall") is often remarked by drivers on the M25. A training excavation from late August to mid-September, organised by the Copped Hall Trust with archaeological support from the West Essex Archaeological Group (WEAG), has completed the third year of work on a site at the northern end of the gardens. Here the masonry remains of a large Elizabethan house demolished in the mid-eighteenth century ("Old Copped Hall") are being revealed, and evidence of earlier occupation, in the form of Medieval, Roman and Iron Age pottery, is also emerging. A report on the first year's work is available from WEAG (Hon Sec, 82 Coningsby Gardens, Chingford, E4 9BD) for £3 post free.

The Birkbeck College training excavation took place in the grounds of Syon House, the London home of the Dukes of Northumberland, from June 14th to July 16th 2004. Prior to the building of the house, in the late sixteenth century, the site had contained a Bridgittine abbey, a rare dual house of nuns and monks, constructed on royal land in the late sixteenth century. The monastery had survived until the dissolution, and was briefly restored under Mary Tudor.

A Time Team investigation in 2002, which included a geophysical survey, revealed the foundations of the abbey church, which appeared to be extensive, perhaps with its western end under the standing Syon House building. The training excavation confirmed that the church was more than 30 metres wide and uncovered a number of substantial internal stone foundations, probably the bases of columns which had separated the nave from the aisles.

The dig also succeeded in identifying rows of brick-built burial vaults located within the church close to the north and south walls. The vaults probably contained the remains of monastery patrons: they had been disturbed during the robbing of the church walls and floors in the sixteenth century, though two burials survived at least partially in situ.

Around 150 students participated in the training excavation in weekly groups of about 30. The project was undertaken in partnership with the Syon Park Estate with assistance from the Museum of London Archaeology Service, the Museum of London Specialist Services, and English Heritage. Members of Richmond Archaeological Society also took part in the excavation, and guided visitors to Syon House round the site on Sundays. It is intended to continue the training excavation at Syon House next year.

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