A series of key discoveries made during work at Dulverton
House in Gloucester by a local archaeologist have led to the work being
nominated for a prestigious national award.
The project, which has been nominated in the ‘Best Rescue Archaeology Project’ category in the online public vote for magazine Current Archaeology, has revealed a fascinating history dating back to the 12th Century. Refurbishment work to create a new Sixth Form centre for The King’s School meant that archaeologists from Gloucestershire specialists Urban Archaeology were given the chance to literally peel back the layers of history, dismantling internal walls and digging trenches for new services and floors.
Lead Archaeologist Chiz Harward says ‘Working on Dulverton through Lockdown was certainly challenging; most archaeologists work on buried remains but here we had a 3-D puzzle both above and below ground. It required a lot of care to unpick and make sense of a very complex history. When we turned up the place was a complete rabbit warren, tiny rooms, partitions everywhere, all chipboard, fire doors and gloss paint. We all kept getting lost! Peeling off those layers was like releasing the history, allowing the buildings to breathe and tell their story.’