Heritage Award

Last Thursday the Defence Infrastructure Organisation (DIO) on behalf of the Ministry of Defence awarded their prestigious Heritage Award to the Netheravon Barrow Rescue project. The Heritage Award is one of the Sanctuary Awards, which are presented annually to recognise sustainability work on the defence estate.

 

The Netheravon Barrow Rescue project saved an important Early Bronze Age site on Salisbury Plain. Tom Theed of Landmarc and his team discovered an unusually large Early Bronze Age cremation urn in many pieces on a burial mound at Netheravon, 'excavated' by badgers. From their discovery the rescue project was launched; controlled excavation of the find spot was subsequently undertaken by Wessex Archaeology in conjunction with the Defence Infrastructure Organisation and Operation Nightingale. Through the excavation a range of remarkable artefacts were discovered including a bronze saw, a beautiful stone archer's wrist guard, a bronze chisel still with its antler handle and almost 1 kg of cremated human remains.  

 

The Early Bronze Age cremation urn was put back together by Gabby Flexer at the Wiltshire County Conservation lab in Chippenham and will eventually be displayed with other finds from the site at the Wiltshire Museum, Devizes.

 

It is excellent that the Netheravon Barrow Rescue project won the Heritage Award, as it highlights the superb work of all involved in the project and the importance of the site.