Current issue
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Autumn 2023
Features
Civil War Defences at Phoenix Place, Mt Pleasant Excavations by ASE revealed 17th-century evidence of quarrying for material needed for building the nearby Lines of Communication. Ian Hogg Investigations in Horse Guards Avenue Archaeology by PCA, just below street level, revealed more about the Court Gate of Whitehall Palace and later buildings including Gower/Carrington House. James Langthorne Obituary: Friederike Hammer (1934—2023) Plus book review, letter, commentary, news, and diary On the Cover When the Museum of London galleries closed last December, John Clark, curator of the final Medieval Gallery, was asked to select his most significant medieval archaeological find. In his opinion, the medieval timber waterfront revetments changed our understanding of the period most, so his cover choice was the waterfront at Billingsgate. The remains were removed from site, conserved and displayed, first in the 'Capital Gains' exhibition, and then in the final medieval gallery (as here and see the exhibition poster on p 53). London's waterfront archaeology recognised what was previously unknown medieval structural technology. The number of sequential waterfronts made it possible to record its historical development, while dendrochronological dating of the 13th-century timbers, preserved in waterlogged soil, enabled it to be dated to c. 1235. Thereafter, new conservation techniques facilitated the preservation and reconstruction of the timbers for display. The waterfront dumps provided a chronological framework for the study of finds from the revetment dumps, leading to the two major publication series on medieval pottery and on medieval finds — groundbreaking works and highly influential (see pp 53—4). Photo. © John Chase/MoL & MOLA |