Reconnaissance Team: Aerial Photography, Uplands and Maritime

Recording and monitoring sites at Bryn Y Fan (SN93158870) near Clywedog.
Left to right: Kimberly Briscoe (Trainee Community Archaeologist; RCAHMW), David Leighton (Senior Investigator Uplands; RCAHMW), Sarahjayne Clements (Trainee Community Archaeologist; RCHAMW), Jenny Hall (Archaeologist; Trysor).

We have been very busy over the past few weeks at the Royal Commission and this week has been spent with the Reconnaissance Team. The team is split into three areas, aerial photography, maritime and uplands survey, looking for new sites in many different areas across Wales as well as monitoring known ones.

We started the week by learning how to catalogue aerial photographs onto the Commission’s database, using GIS to help us locate them on the map. It was really interesting trying to locate sites where the National Grid Reference (NGR) was not known to us, and helped me to learn more about the geography and archaeology of Wales.

We then visited sites around Borth and Ynyslas. First of all we looked at the remains of a Mesolithic peat shelf and tree stumps on the foreshore at Borth, which was amazing to think about how the landscape has changed. We also noticed an eclectic mix of houses in Borth due to different phases of development as a holiday resort, which was interesting to see. We then went to Ynyslas to look at the remains of a Second World War missile testing range and camp, which was extremely important in the development of fuel for space rockets. After this we discussed how we could move forward with community projects in Ynyslas and Borth and came up with some ideas that we will begin work on soon.

Midweek we went to Bryn Y Fan (SN93158870) near Clywedog to see what is involved in the Uplands Archaeology Initiative and talked to Paul Sambrook and Jenny Hall of Trysor about the community archaeology they undertake. We walked up and around the hill for most of the day looking for any archaeological sites. We did find some Cairns which was really exciting which we recorded by taking a NGR, measurements and photos.

Towards the end of the week we discussed our learning plans for this year, we then observed a talk on the Britain From Above Project to find out more about the work carried out with the community and aerial photographs.

As part of learning about maritime reconnaissance, we added information about wrecks to the maritime database, we learnt how to map fish traps on GIS using LIDAR, maps and aerial photographs to help. This was very informative and it is surprising how features show up using different techniques.

By Sarahjayne Clements, Community Archaeology Training Placement


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TG a The a Bisgedi ‘Gyda Phrydain oddi Fry’

Dydd Mercher 18, Medi 2013
Sesiwn Am Ddim!

Oes gennych ddiddordeb mewn hanes lleol?
Ydych chi’n hoffi awyrluniau hanesyddol?
Eisiau rhoi cynnig ar adnodd hanes newydd a hawdd?
Eisiau dysgu mwy am y rhyngrwyd a sut i’w defnyddio?
Beth am ymuno â thîm Prydain Oddi Fry?

Ganolfan Hanes Lleol a Theuluol,
Tŷ’r Ardd, Synnyside, Pen-y-bont, CF31 4AR
2:30-4:30pm
I gael mwy o wybodaeth cysylltwch â:
Natasha.scullion@cbhc.gov.uk

Te a Bisgedi Am Ddim ar ôl y sesiwn.

Ffôn: 01970 621245
www.cbhc.gov.uk
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Piloting the Internet - Carmarthen Edition

Last month Britain from Above made its presence felt in not one but two locations in Carmarthen! Starting with the Tourism students from University of Wales, Trinity St David Carmarthen campus, the students explored the project and using the big screen projector in the classroom they looked at various locations around England and Wales― Cardigan and Reading being particularly popular. They also had the opportunity to look at some large prints of the collection as well as more recent prints from the Royal Commission’s archive taken by aerial investigator, Dr Toby Driver. The students were impressed by both the differences and similarities they could identify between the aerial photographs ― the result of the eighty-year time gap between them. Everyone seemed inspired by the project, and several of the third-year students enthused about how it would become a valuable resource for some of their future planning modules, and how they would be able to use the images as information to fuel or theme tours and guided walks around areas of the British Isles.
 

Later on in the day, we moved across town where residents from the local community came along to hear about the project for the first time. They were astonished by the range of the collection and the quality of the images. After hearing about the project and seeing the remarkable collection, they were all keen to log in and get started! Once registered, most people started their investigation of the site, some referring to the step-by-step guides when they reached an unfamiliar part. The group quickly started adding their own tags and comments. One lady commented that she was sure she had become addicted as she and the others started pointing out excitedly half-forgotten buildings. Another happy tagger said that one of the houses was her great-grandmother’s house which she used to visit as a very small girl.

Both groups seemed to really enjoy what the project had to offer; the students and members of the community alike were keen to make use of it as a research resource; the latter group delighting in the memories it brought back. The group really embraced and made the most of a lovely afternoon trip down memory lane.  Several of them are keen to become more involved in the project in a research capacity, and this will be exciting to develop!

Explore: Britain from Above website.

By: Natasha Scullion, Britain from Above Activity Officer, Wales.

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Ceredigion: Bryngaerau’r Oes Haearn

Awyrlun o Bendinas, Aberystwyth.

Yn y 500 mlynedd cyn i’r Rhufeiniaid orchfygu Cymru, câi poblogaeth ffermio Ceredigion yn yr Oes Haearn eu rheoli gan hierarchaeth o benaethiaid a mân arweinwyr a reolai o fryngaerau a llociau amddiffynedig. Roedd y bryngaerau hyn yn symbolau o awdurdod, yn llochesau ac yn llefydd i fasnachu a thalu gwrogaeth.

Gweld delweddau pellach o Ceredigion: Bryngaerau’r Oes Haearn

Awyrlun o’r Gaer Fawr.

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Ceredigion: Iron Age Forts

Aerial view of Pen Dinas, Aberystwyth.

In the 500 years before the Romans conquered Wales Ceredigion’s Iron Age farming population was ruled by a hierarchy of chiefs and petty chiefs whose bases were hillforts and defended enclosures which acted as symbols of authority, refuges and places of tribute collection and trade.

View further images of Ceredigion: Iron Age Forts

Aerial view of Gaer Fawr.

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