Visitors to the National Trust’s Attingham Park will be able to see an archaeological dig in progress this month.
On weekdays between Wednesday 20 to Friday 29 October, the site of a previously unknown 19th century summerhouse will form the focus of further archaeological investigations, and visitors will be able to see how it progresses over the nine days.
Remains of the summerhouse were discovered in summer 2018 on the estate, in proximity of the Walled Garden, during routine assessment work to create new service routes at Attingham. At the time there was no historical evidence of the existence of this building. Later analysis of LiDAR survey revealed an area with unusual ground disturbance. LiDAR is a remote sensing technology that uses lasers to measure the topography of an area, and this revealed ground variations and a difference in ground height. Remains of a historical brick and stone building were unearthed during the dig, and the team returned to further explore the site in 2019.
Viviana Caroli, National Trust Archaeologist said: “Over the last three years, archaeological investigations and research carried out by professional archaeologists and National Trust volunteers have allowed us to piece together clues regarding the existence and development of this fascinating building. We hope to gather more evidence and widen our understanding around this mysterious building. We’re looking forward to welcoming visitors to the site to learn more about our work, the history of the summer house and the stories behind the people who commissioned and built it.”
Early in 2021 the discovery of an additional map dating to the mid-19th Century provided new evidence of the summerhouse and associated features. This month’s dig will be the last season of archaeological investigations at the site and during this time the team hope to shed new light on the building and its relation to historic boundaries and tracks.
The archaeological dig will take place on weekdays between Wednesday 20 and Friday 29 October.
National Trust members and under 5s visit Attingham Park for free, admission charges apply for non-members.
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