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Groundwell Ridge Dig Diary an introduction
First a little background.....
 The site I am involved with is the
Groundwell Ridge Roman Complex
in Swindon.This was the site where Time Team’s Big Dig weekend came from last year. I was lucky to be a“featured garden” on the Friday Big Dig program as I live 100 metres from the site.This year (2004) English Heritage are doing a 7 week excavation of this scheduled site to try tomake sense out of it.Dr Pete Wilson (site director) knowing of my interest in the site, asked me if I could somefavours for EH, like use my water to replenish drinking bottles, use my internet connection, toupload web updates and use my address for post to the site. In return I get to dig on a scheduledsite at the best time - mid excavation and for TWO weeks, so having contact with the site everyday (almost) for 7 weeks I thought I’d start a diary. If you are expecting a dry, academiccommentary on the Groundwell site – I am afraid this is not the thread for you. Anyway, enoughof the preamble.So this year it all started................by Chris WalkerThe team
 
Groundwell Ridge Dig Diary - day 1
Wednesday 9th June – Day 1
 
Trench Plan
 Plans of this years Trenches overlaying Mark Corney's earthwork survey of 1997
Conditions for Day 1, heavy rain overnight, cloud cover, very humid.
 Hectic early morning start for all on site, first batch of volunteers tip up at 08:30 and are given aninduction and initial training, issued with safety equipment i.e. boots and hard hats and areteamed up with their mentors.Dr Pete Wilson (EH Project Director) and Robert Dickinson (Swindon Borough Council) do theusual media interviews, and finally the Big Yellow Trowel starts de-turfing. Usually this part of a dig can be a little boring, but in the case of the Groundwell site the archaeology is, in places, just under the surface.I have not spent much time on site today (I’ve been booked for 1 week at the mid-excavationpoint and the penultimate week!!!). BT can’t put in the EH broadband link to my house untilJune 14th !!!! So the EH web updates from the site will probably start after then.So that was the first day, and features can be seen already (there is a raised observation platform
 
where the great unwashed can watch each stage of the dig unfold all day if they want). Outreachtours of the site by EH are at 11am and 3pm.Day1The Dig gets startedDay1Starting to get the wall
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