Cobham Landscape Detectives Update

By Andrew Mayfield

The Cobham Landscapes Detectives project is a three-year landscape focused, Lottery funded, community archaeology odyssey! In 2016 we began our investigations and discovered lost medieval field systems and ancient trees, as well as excavating one of the ruined Darnley estate cottages on the old Cobham Hall estate (see newsletter 104).

Over the winter our intrepid landscape detective volunteers have continued to investigate both ancient trees and LiDAR features. In addition to working with the National Trust in Cobham Woods, we have worked with the Woodland Trust in Ashenbank Woods and conducted a walkover survey of Rochester and Cobham Golf Course. Time is also being spent refining objectives for both our understanding of the Prehistoric and Medieval landscapes.

We are collecting oral history testimony from people who lived and worked in this landscape and adding it to our project website.

Most recently, we organised a weekend event at Cobham College, a fantastic medieval building in the centre of Cobham village. The purpose of this event was to invite the people of Cobham to participate in a village dig in the summer of 2017. Over 170 people came to see us over 2 days and over 25 people signed up to dig or have a test pit in their gardens.

We have lots of activities planned for this year, from further LiDAR groundtruthing, tree surveying, fieldwalking, geophysics and targeted excavations to research visits, outreach events and guided walks. Most importantly we now have a project t-shirt, following in the grand tradition of the Randall Manor t-shirt series!

To learn more about the project or to get involved, contact Andrew Mayfield on 07920 548906
Email: andrew.mayfield@kent.gov.uk
Visit: www.shornewoodsarchaeology.co.uk
and follow us at @ArchaeologyinKent on Facebook and @ArchaeologyKent on Twitter

LEFT: A great arched tree on Cobham golf course

ABOVE: Archaeologists Bronze Age barrow