AS - Archaeological Solutions

The Victorian police complex on the corner of Rochester Row and Vincent Square, Westminster, London. The building was originally built in 1845 and expanded in the 1860s and the early 20th century.

Archaeological Solutions Ltd is an independent archaeological contractor specialising in the full range of field archaeology investigations.

AS is one of the few organisations of its type to be a recognised Investor in People, to hold the BSi (ISO 9001) Accreditation and to be an Institute of Field Archaeologists (IFA) Recognised Archaeological Organisation. AS therefore operates within the code of conduct of the IFA, the criteria of Investors in People and the requirements of ISO 9001. This is a guarantee of our commitment to quality and service to our clients and to our staff.

Archaeological Solutions was formerly the Hertfordshire Archaeological Trust (HAT). HAT was formed in 1986 as an independent educational charity and company limited by guarantee. As a result of changes within archaeology in the UK from the 1990s onwards the role of HAT began to change. As a result of these changes HAT ceased to exist in 2003; it developed in to Archaeological Solutions Ltd, a modern organisation suited to operating in commercial archaeology and the heritage sector in the 21st century.

We have regional representation with our main offices located in the centre of the historic towns of Hertford and Bury St. Edmunds. These locations mean that we are well placed to carry out work at your site, wherever it may be.

On behalf of our clients, AS undertakes the full range of archaeological investigations required under the Government Guidance Papers PPG15 and PPG16. We undertake these investigations in a professional, efficient and cost-effective manner that allows the archaeological requirements on your planning application to be discharged and your development to proceed at the earliest opportunity.

AS aims to achieve the recovery, synthesis and dissemination of the archaeological resource to the highest professional standards.

AS’ dedicated and professional staff have a wide range of experience and expertise in commercial and academic British archaeology. We employ around 50 core staff who are organised in to specific teams. All staff have individual Personal Development Plans. AS’ Senior Management Team consists of Directors Claire Halpin and Tom McDonald and Senior Projects Manager Jon Murray. The Senior Management Team all hold MIFA level membership of the Institute of Field Archaeologists and have extensive experience of conducting and managing archaeological projects throughout the country.

The Field Team, AS’ archaeological fieldworkers, are led by Projects Manager Gary Brogan who joined AS in 2007 from Tyne & Wear Museums Archaeology. The team’s diversity of experience means that they have the abilities to operate skilfully and efficiently on sites of all types and dates. They carry out the full range of fieldwork to retrieve buried archaeological information. All members of the AS Field Team are encouraged to gain membership of the IFA and are given the experience and opportunity to the gain the expertise to progress through the various levels of IFA membership. The Field Team have recently completed large scale excavations at Black Horse Farm, Sawtry, Cambridgeshire where their work has complemented an earlier excavation, conducted by AS in 2004/2005, and revealed a middle to late Iron Age landscape comprising settlement, agricultural and possibly ritual activity. They have also recently been working at a site in St. Neots where significant Anglo-Saxon remains were recorded during excavation work in the 1960s by Peter Addyman. The AS excavation at this site has revealed not only further Anglo-Saxon remains but also evidence of Roman and medieval occupation and the remains of the principal post-medieval residence in St. Neots, Hall Place.

AS staff involved historic building recording projects and the production of archaeological desk-based assessments are combined in a single team, managed by Andrew Newton. Although these are widely differing disciplines the team are brought together through the shared emphasis on documentary research. The team includes a buildings archaeologist with particular skills in drawing and photographing old buildings, an architectural historian well versed in researching and interpreting the history of a building and desk-based assessment specialists trained in the research skills required for the production of such documents and supportive background evidence for archaeological fieldwork reports.

The Post-Excavation Team conduct research, analyse data from the field and prepare archaeological reports for submission to local planning authorities and for publication. The team is managed and co-ordinated by Mike Lally who has recently completed his PhD, specialising in the Iron Age and the archaeology of childhood. The Team comprise individuals with strong academic backgrounds and a wide range of experience of working in British archaeology and heritage. Recent important projects completed by the Post-Excavation Team include the Iron Age landscape, incorporating the enigmatic ‘Round Structure 3’, at Black Horse Farm, Sawtry, Cambs. Work is currently under way on the analysis of the Roman Site at Bottisham in Cambridgeshire.

Also forming part of the Post-Excavation Team are AS’ in-house finds specialists. This group, made up of Carina Phillips, Jim Morris, Peter Thompson and Andrew Peachey, have between them, expertise in faunal remains, human bone, pottery, worked stone, building materials and flint tools. Carina Phillips is currently working on the analysis of the human remains from the 3rd to 4th century Roman cemetery excavated at Great Casterton in Rutland. Our specialists, like other members of staff, are encouraged to join the IFA, they are all also involved with societies, organisations and research groups directly associated with their own specialisms.

Senior Graphics Officer Kathren Henry leads a team with experience in archaeological finds illustration, technical drawing and archaeological photography. The team uses software packages such as Autocad, Adobe Illustrator and Corel Draw to produce high quality images for use on site and in AS reports. AS’ new facilities at Bury St Edmunds include a darkroom to allow the graphics team to produce high quality photographs for historic building and publication reports in-house.

The finds processing team is managed by Finds and Archives Officer Claire Wallace. The finds processing team operate within AS’ newly constructed and purpose built facilities at Bury St Edmunds. These facilities include an indoor environmental sieving and sample processing room with silt traps where bulk soil samples can be sieved throughout the year. After the archaeological artefacts have been processed, they are distributed to both AS' internal specialists and external freelance specialists. Claire is also responsible for the co-ordination and preparation of archaeological archiving once the projects have been concluded and liaises with museums and county council stores to arrange the deposition of these archives.