Dr Jill Thompson would like to highlight the opportunities for students at this community excavation.

Between the 9th and 24th June (10am-4pm each day), Pennine Prospects will be undertaking a community excavation of the Ilkley to Manchester Roman Road located at Ogden Water Country Park, Calderdale. The site was chosen as a result of the woodland survey undertaken on behalf of Yorkshire Water in March 2017. The road is difficult to identify on the ground, however its presumed course is recorded on historic OS maps. During the survey a single collapsed tree was recorded, as within its root plate were a number of large sandstone slabs which appeared to have been uplifted from a surface. The character of the stones seems to match those identified along the course of the road further to the north, uncovered during excavations between the 1960s and 80s.

The broad intention of this excavation is to:
1. Confirm the presence of the road
2. Note its character (how wide is it, does it preserve wheel ruts, how many times was it resurfaced etc.)
3. Uncover datable evidence for its construction and abandonment
4. Retrieve a sequence of deposits to reconstruct the environment at the site
5. Measure the impact the woodland plantation is having on the buried archaeology

BOOKING FOR THE EXCAVATION IS ESSENTIAL, Contact Chris Atkinson, at: Chris.Atkinson@pennineprospects.co.uk

PLEASE NOTE: Volunteers must dress for the outdoors (hat, trousers, shirts, waterproofs) and wear sturdy boots or wellingtons. Feel free to bring your own gardening gloves and insect repellent is a must. You may also wish to bring something to eat and drink (NO DOGS). All attendants will be required to fill out a photograph consent form and undertake a short induction.