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Are you interested in archaeology? We are here to put the trowel in your hand.

19/10/2026

We focused on three areas of the site on Sunday, looking for more evidence of the development and history of the lodge house we are investigating. Having looked carefully again at a 1930 photograph of the house, I could see that there was a wooden fence running along the North side of the house, up to the rock pillar. I could also identify that the main chimney was located in the centre of the North wall of the main central room, with a second chimney in the South East corner of the house in the cooking/utlility room.
1. We explored the main chimney and found a large stone foundation rock to support the chimney. By excavating around the large stone and also on the other side of the wall in the entrance room we could see a compacted and flat rubble layer forming the subsurface to the floor.
2. We explored the back of the house looking for evidence of a compact stone/rubble layer providing a courtyard area at the back of the house, as the area is too small and shaded for grass to grow. We found evidence of this compact layer and also evidence of a demolition layer above and evidence of burning. The sandstone on the ground was heavily degraded, with large amounts of old rusty nails, china and other metal objects.
3. We explored the area at the base of the steps looking for evidence of a back door to the house and a gate by the bottom of the steps.

Next Sunday is likely to be the end of our dig season, when we will put the site to bed for the winter.

Wishing you all a great week.

Tony

13/10/2026

With several team members away, we decided to postpone the dig last Sunday, but hope to be back digging next Sunday. Tony

06/10/2026

Good afternoon. We had another great day on Sunday, excavating our site and trying to understand what the archaeology is telling us.
1. We cleaned up the South East Corner, which has a large pipe, and which we suspect was part of a kitchen/dining area.
2. We excavated more of the steps leading down to the site, and found well constructed edges dug into the bedrock, with bricks forming the edges. Metal found at the top step may have been part of a gate.
3. We dug around the 3 stones forming a short wall in the North East corner, and confirmed that there are only 3 stones present. To the North of the wall leading to the steps is a flattened rubble/tile surface, while to the South at a lower level is another flattened rubble/tile surface at a lower level that runs along the Eastern side of the house. These 3 stones really puzzle us, and we are still working out their purpose. The large black end stone is not sandstone and is not native to Kent.
4. As the space between the Eastern wall and the cliff is only 2-3 meters, we cut a narrow trench to explore if a hard surface exists across this entire area. We found broken tiles/rubble/bricks across the entire trench, but need to understand if this layer is a base for paving or part of a demolition layer.
5. We measured the site and I need to create a plan of the site with some accurate sizes for the rooms.
We plan to dig for another couple of weeks, depending on the weather.
Wishing you a great week
Tony

30/09/2026

Good afternoon. We had a very interesting dig on Sunday as we continue to explore the site. We excavated the South East corner which has a drain and an old tap, which suggests the room may have been used for cooking and probably as a dining room.
Our main surprise came in the North East corner of the house, when we excavated around the block of stone sitting on top of the foundations, and discovered the block was part of a wall. The wall extends at least two blocks outside the house, including a large black stone, definitely not local; while inside the house we found the path of the wall extended via bricks and rubble across the hard packed floor layer. As the wall is not on the same alignment as the house foundations, further exploration will be needed.
We also excavated the ground just outside the East wall and found 10-30 cm of brick/rubble/blocks running along the edge of the foundation. The area at the back of the house is very small, and we need to identify if it was paved or had a hard packed floor surface.
Back for more excavation next Sunday.
Tony

22/09/2026

Good morning,
We look forward to returning to our site next Sunday. Due to illness and absences we had a second quiet Sunday.
Fingers crossed for a good session next Sunday.
Tony

15/09/2026

Good morning,
With team absences, illness and a dodgy weather forecast, we cancelled our dig last Sunday. We are planning to proceed with the dig again this coming Sunday.
Wishing you a great week
Tony

07/09/2026

Our excavations continue to show the quality of the foundations created for the lodge house we are exploring.
1. We expanded the excavations by the front door, which showed well constructed and extensive foundations, most probably for a covered, enclosed porch area. We also found a thick metal chain nearly 1m long, which might have been for security or perhaps for a dog.
2. We expanded the trench by the North wall, exposing bedrock sloping down from the stone pillar, which was cleanly stopped by the building foundation blocks. There looks to be either a side gate or a back door in the North-East corner of the house.
3. In the South-East corner we found that the foundations have been updated with bricks and a large rock securely placed next to a large pipe, and also a metal tap. This suggests that this corner of the house may have been used for cooking or as a Kitchen/Dining area.
4. We continue to expand the trenches on the long Eastern side of the house, looking for evidence of chimneys or other structures.

Apologies for some the photographs, as the lighting conditions are not good for photographs, and much of the foundations are the same colour as the surrounding soil and rocks.

Wishing you a great week
Tony

31/08/2026

We continued our excavations at the lodge site, and also explored other structures in the woods, identified via local maps. We focused our attention in selected areas of the site:
1. We explored the front entrance in the North-West of the site, exposing more bricks and the extension of the foundations in the North of the site. There may be a porch structure, but further work is needed to validate this idea.
2. We explored the bottom of the steps leading down to the site, and found a flattened rubble layer which may be linked with a back door to the building. There is a large stone block sitting on nearby foundations which seems to be deliberately placed.
3. We extended the Eastern foundations looking for evidence of a chimney base in the middle of the main large room, and found stones and rubble which may have supported a chimney. Further work is needed.

We have lots to explore and to understand about the site, and also how it sits within the local surroundings and its links to the local large house on the property.

Wishing you a great Bank Holiday Monday and a good week ahead.
Tony

24/08/2026

We had another enjoyable and productive time on Sunday, continuing to explore the site. We focused our activities on
1. Cleaning up some of the internal wall foundations
2. Excavating the foundations of the front of the house, which has a 3 sided structure. The central section is hidden below a large tree, so is not accessible.
3. We explored the front door area, finding more bricks and an extension of the north wall foundations, suggesting the house may have had a porch.
4. We also explored the steps leading down into the site and found an additional step, plus evidence of hard packed rubble forming the flat section of the steps, including the very bottom step adjacent to the house.
5. We reinstated our fencing which had been knocked down (probably by animals).

Overall a great day of digging, and looking to return next Sunday.
Hope you have a great week.
Tony

17/08/2026

Our team continued to excavate the building foundations, and we now have an almost complete plan of the building (apart from sections with large tree roots). We confirmed the large central room was not sub-divided, and we are now looking to identify chimneys and a potential rear door to the house.
When the building was demolished, part of the floor in the northern section was left, and provides clues to the floor construction. We still have plenty of work left to continue the excavations, and also to do some desktop research, looking at photographs and old records/census details.
We will be back on site next Sunday morning.
Wishing you a great week
Tony

Address

Southborough

Opening Hours

9am - 5pm

Telephone

+447766963400

Website

http://southborougharchaeology.org/

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