Alum Bay: Ongoing Research
HWTMA has received funding from English Heritage to conduct further investigation into the maritime heritage of Alum Bay. This research will draw upon the extensive archive of material that is the result of eighteen years of fieldwork within Alum Bay. The ultimate aim of this will be to produce a publication that will realise the full potential of Alum Bay to inform the public about this unique piece of England's maritime heritage and to allow long-term public accessibility.
This research and publication has been divided into five stages;
Stage One: Archive audit. Completed through funding from the Marc Fitch Fund.
Stage Two: Excavation. Completed through Archaeological Atlas of the Two Seas (A2S) funding.
Stage Three: Assessment of the existing material. This stage of the project has layed the groundwork for the final stages (Four and Five) through the articulation of the currently available data from Alum Bay to determine its potential to inform on a range of research questions. Part of this stage has involved the assessment of the extensive diver records from work within Alum Bay, as well as the development of site plans that catalogue the evolution of the maritime archaeology of Alum Bay over the past eighteen years. This stage of the project has now been completed.
Stage Four: Analysis and Research. This stage of the research will incorporate full historical analysis of the shipwreck remains of both Alum Bay 1 and 2, as well as investigation into environmental factors that impact upon the archaeological remains located in Alum Bay. For the first time, we are also studying the wider context of maritime activity within Alum Bay to allow the broadest possible interpretation of the maritime archaeological remains located there. This stage of the project is now underway and is likely to last until the early spring of 2013. Some of this work is being completed through Arche-Manche funding.
Stage Five: Publication. The results of the assessment, analysis and research into Alum Bay will be published through the HWTMA Monograph Series. This will be No. 2 in the series and is scheduled to be published in 2013.
Progress Overview: Stages One, Two and Three have been completed. Stage Four is currently ongoing and Stage Five is currently scheduled for completeion in 2013. Additionally, the project will also see the review and development of a Project Planning Note (PPN) for Marine Archaeological Investigation. This will complement the existing PPN that addresses general archaeological investigation, but with a specific tailoring towards marine archaeological investigations.
This webpage will be updated further as the project progresses and our findings will feed into the other Alum Bay Project webpages.