Time team: Members of Marlow Archaeological Society search for buried foundations
Posted on 04/21/2005 11:20:16 PM PDT by nickcarraway
ARCHAEOLOGISTS are awaiting results of a geophysical survey carried out around Bisham Abbey last weekend which could reveal the long-lost history of the site.
Bisham Abbey, off the A404 Marlow Bypass, is believed to date as far back as 1337, and a special survey hopes to reveal the original foundations of the ancient building.
The modern abbey is currently the home of Sport England's National Sports Centre, and six volunteers took to the lawns of the tennis courts to try and detect the foundations.
Using a resistivity meter, which sends an electrical current through the ground, the team searched for the foundations. High resistance levels can indicate the location of walls and foundations belonging to the old site.
From the results, Marlow Archaeological Society hopes to produce a graphic illustration of what the complex would have looked like.
Dr Jill Eyers, of Chiltern Archaeology, who was leading the survey, said: "People were so interested in what we were doing.
"Historical records mention this church and we know it was in the area close to the modern abbey building."
Roll documents recently discovered in research at the British Library show the abbey could also have been used as a priory by the Earl of Salisbury.
This was before it was destroyed around 1538 by Henry VIII.
Throughout the weekend, around 30 to 40 people turned up at the abbey to speak to the team and were given guided tours of the site.
Dr Eyers said she hopes to have the results of the survey back as soon as this week.
Those things can be fun. Any snakes or rabbits burrowing underground nearby will pop right out.
Could I use one to make my moles pop up so I can nail them?
"Could I use one to make my moles pop up so I can nail them?"
Might want to consult a dematologist first.
Sorry I could not resist. Not enough coffee yet.
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