Buried Heritage
Many people will know the Forest as a beautiful green area, but it is only by understanding what lies beneath that you can really appreciate how the people living and working here have influenced the development of the landscape over time.
This project provided an opportunity for local people to expand their knowledge of archaeological and other historic features so that we can build up a greater level of understanding about the heritage of the landscape.
Our film celebrates how much the project achieved:
What has the project delivered?
The project significantly improved the identification and understanding of some of the rich archaeological remains that survive across the Forest. Building on the success of the Development stage project 'Unearthing our Heritage', professional archaeologists trained and worked with teams of volunteers from the local community to continue an invaluable baseline survey of the visible remains of the buried heritage that are present within the Forest.
Specific achievements:
- The continuation of the task of mapping and investigating over 1700 potential archaeological sites already identified in the Forest, using LIDAR survey.
- Volunteers visited selected sites to verify the archaeological nature, undertake baseline recording of the visible earthwork remains, assess their condition and wherever possible establish their character and function.
- During the five years of the Foresters' Forest programme, a series 'community digs' too place to train existing & new volunteers
- Working with local schools free archaeological learning resources were provided to each school in the Forest of Dean, to enable youngsters to explore their local history and heritage now and in the future.
What can I get involved in?
The 'Buried Heritage' project, under the direction of Worcestershire Archive & Archaeology Service and Forestry England, still needs volunteers to work with professional archaeologists to survey visible remains of buried heritage and built heritage and to take part in 'community digs'.
To find out more about these opportunities contact volunteer co-ordinator Deb Cook: email volunteer@fvaf.org or telephone 01594 822073