A303 Geophysical and Trial Trench Reports

Highways England have made archaeological and geophysical survey reports of the preferred Stonehenge A303 tunnel route available on their website.

Archaeological trial trench evaluation

Geophysical survey report phase 1

Geophysical survey report phase 2

Geophysical survey report phase 3

There is a lot of information in those reports.

Larkhill Heritage

Planning documents provide a map of the heritage assets that are within the site for planned housing at Larkhill, including the newly discovered hengiform and enclosure.

 
PDF available here

There is a public consultation on 23rd January 2018 in Durrington

The Great Trilithon may not be the one you think it is.

From Stonehenge Friar's Heel Great Trilithon By Henry Bates From the Junior Munsey, May 1900.

The name "The Great Trilithon" was originally applied to the largest complete trilithon still standing at Stonehenge in Victorian times, stone 53, 54 and 154. This is the iconic trilithon that has featured in a myriad of souvenirs and some texts.

But as it wasn't originally the tallest trilithon the name has often transferred across to the now fallen Central Trilithon (Stones 55, 56 and 156 ) which was.

From http://www.setterfield.org/Dodwell/Dodwell_Manuscript_9.html

Mea culpa, mea máxima culpa, I have oft taken the name of the Great Trilithon in haste to mean the Central Trilithon.

Kitchen Barrow, Sun and Stones

Pastscape describes Kitchen Barrow at Horton in Wiltshire thus:

Neolithic long barrow on Kitchen Barrow Hill, listed by Grinsell as Bishops Cannings 44. The barrow is extant as an earthwork mound 34 metres long, 18 metres wide and up to 2.7 metres high. The side ditches are 8 metres wide and up to 40 cm deep. Grinsell referred to a sarsen protruding from the north east end, but this can no longer be seen. 5 sherds of Roman pottery found on the surface are in Devizes Museum. The long barrow has also been recorded on aerial photographs.

I visited close to the Winter Solstice at sunset to see if there was any possible alignment. No is the simple answer. While the barrow is better extant to the South East the shape of the ditches suggest the entrance would have been a the North Eastern end which has been mostly destroyed. Grinsell's sarsen (or at least a sarsen) sits in the middle of the barrow towards the north. I also noted as I have done before slivers of limestone in molehills in the ditches towards the northern end which suggest it had walling similar to West Kennet Long Barrow.

If the entrance was to the northeast then the barrow would have echos of Stoney Littleton where the hill slopes upwards from it. Would it then have pointed to the Mid Summer Sunrise or is it as most Long Barrows seem to be at an inexplicable angle apart from being best positioned to show off side on?

Kitchen Barrow is scheduled under the Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Areas Act 1979
List entry Number: 1012519

Stoney Littleton Long Barrow Winter Solstice Alignment

Stephen Cogbill writes and supplies the photos:

I liked you post about Adam's Grave and it put my in mind of going to Stoney Littleton yesterday, as the weather forecast was promising.
It didn't disappoint.

I attach a few photos.

It was 1 deg C outside but more like 8 or 9 deg C inside the passage, with lots of water dripping in from recent snow/rain and very high overall humidity.
Not great for the camera, but it survived.
Being confined, damp and dark it reminded me of caving in the Mendips in my youth.

Stoney Littleton is interesting as the 4 or 5 degree slope means the sun doesn't rise over the horizon until about 45 minutes after proper sunrise.
Unlike Maes Howe or Newgrange, you can get to see it without booking or company.

I hope this solar alignment business isn't catching !

Click to enlarge. Photos (c) Stephen Cogbill

For more on the alignment see Silent Earth and Terence Meaden.

Highways England to continue archaeological survey work on A303 Stonehenge scheme

20 December 2017

Highways England will continue archaeological surveys in the new year as part of the ongoing scheme to improve journeys for people using the A303 at Stonehenge.
The survey work, which includes surface artefact collection, topsoil tests and trial trenching, is part of the company’s continuing commitment to preserving the World Heritage Site and in particular its Outstanding Universal Value.
Highways England Project Director Derek Parody said: “Heritage is very much at the heart of our work at Stonehenge.
“As well as removing the traffic bottleneck at Stonehenge and addressing the rat-running issue through local villages, the proposed scheme will remove the sight and sound of traffic from the iconic monument and reduce intrusion in the wider World Heritage Site landscape.
“The environmental, archaeological and geophysical surveys we have been carrying out since 2016, and our review of existing surveys, have added to our knowledge and understanding of this unique landscape and helped us develop the design of our preferred route.
“Our continuing archaeological survey work, which we are carrying out with experts in the field, will ensure we gather vital information about the environment and archaeology to inform the project as it progresses.”
Among the experts is the Stonehenge Scientific Committee, a body of leading independent archaeologists, who have advised on the ongoing survey work, and will continue to do so as the company develops the details of the scheme.
The preferred route for the £1.6 billion A303 upgrade between Amesbury and Berwick Down was announced in September. It includes a free-flowing dual carriageway with a tunnel at least 1.8 miles long and a much-needed bypass north of Winterbourne Stoke.
Following public consultation earlier in the year and further engagement with local communities, heritage groups, archaeologists, historians and engineers, the preferred route was chosen so that the route now closely follows the existing A303 through the World Heritage Site.
This alignment avoids important archaeological sites and intrusion on the view of the setting sun from Stonehenge during the winter solstice.
The Government, as part of its £15 billion road strategy, is committed to upgrading all remaining sections of the A303 between the M3 and M5 to a high quality dual carriageway standard, starting with three schemes: one at Stonehenge, one between Sparkford and Ilchester and the third on the A358 between the M5 at Taunton and the A303 Southfields Roundabout.
Highways England plans to hold a statutory public consultation in early 2018, and in the meantime, details of the preferred route are available on the scheme webpage: www.highwaysengland.citizenspace.com/cip/a303-stonehenge/

Ahead of Friday’s Winter Solstice event at Stonehenge, Highways England has issued the following advice to drivers planning to travel on the A303: https://www.gov.uk/government/news/plan-your-a303-journeys-ahead-of-winter-solstice-event-at-stonehenge--2

Adam's Grave Long Barrow Winter Solstice Sunrise Alignment

I posited some time ago that Adam's Grave Long Barrow was aligned to the Winter Solstice Sunrise.

(Suncalc lines of Solstice sunrise and set for Dec 21st.)

I visited again today to photograph the sunrise and the full orb appears to be in line with the barrow.

(click to enlarge)

Now to check Kitchen Barrow next summer - because of the slope the calculate line and the actual may vary significantly.