Voyages to the House of Diversion 
Seventeenth-Century Water Gardens and the Birth of Modern Science

 June, July and August 2021 - Here, There, Everywhere
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Early in the summer we had a change of scene and moved up  close to the castle. Plans were afoot to apply for permission to build a small detached library here and so we undertook and archaeological evaluation in a trench along the north side of the proposed building... not hugely interesting but some great roots.
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HanwellHanwellHanwellHanwell
    
The library trench underway, with added rubble, more scraping and roots... that were sacrosanct.



Hanwell               Hanwell

We also got started on a lengthy transect measuring the profile of the valley longitudinally the old fashioned way with level, staff and tape measure.
For the summer's big dig we were forced by circumstances to divide our forces with Verna looking after the volunteers as they explored the east side of our octagonal island whilst Sarah and I devoted three weeks to a final season at Croft Castle in Herefordshire.
Hanwell     Hanwell

Verna busies herself with drawing whilst layers of clean silt are exposed at the bottom of the moat

Meanwhile, over in Herefordshire:    




Croft     Croft

We finally, after three years, complete the excavation of the conduit house, and uncover a previously undiscovered spillway.


Croft     Croft
Katherine, a new volunteer, helps plan the site of the former ice-house and Sarah sets up the Geode GPS receiver in an attempt to begin accurately locating the many monuments lurking in Fishpool Valley




CroftCroftCroft

We were fortunate in persuading the National Trust to allow us to take time to explore other 'picturesque' landscapes, namely: Piercebridge, Hafod  and and Downton Gorge.





  Stowe     Stowe
... and here's another 'side quest' for the National Trust, a very long trench cut through the dam holding back the waters of the Eleven Acre Lake,
quite interesting as dams go... what a busy summer.