Wessex Archaeology delegates have returned buzzing after a conference in Glasgow where new research in coastal and underwater heritage was shared. Held at the University of Glasgow on 5 and 6 November, the Nautical Archaeology Society (NAS) teamed up with the SCAPE Trust (Scottish Coastal Archaeology and the Problem of Erosion) to host their annual conference. In addition to a strong Scottish research focus, international speakers presented studies from Spain, Germany, Canada and Oman.
Eight staff from the Coastal & Marine team attended, four based in the Salisbury office and four from conference sponsor Wessex Archaeology Scotland. Andrew Bicket presented a locally-relevant paper co-authored with Dan Atkinson and Robert Prescott of the Scottish Fisheries Museum Trust. His insights into early historic whaling in Scotland, and in particular the Anstruther Whale Fishing Company (1757–1762), highlighted the under-studied area of Scotland’s first major whaling industry based in the Forth. Wessex Archaeology’s recent Coastal & Marine work on behalf of the Scottish Fisheries Museum is explored here and here.
Outside the lecture theatre, Wessex Archaeology’s presence was strong with two posters displayed in the exhibition space. One featured the Galmisdale Bay wreck, located on the Isle of Eigg and surveyed during the SAMPHIRE project. The other introduced Chatham Dockyard, a site of considerable archaeological investigation by Wessex Archaeology.
Delegates were also able to discuss research and exchange ideas on our maritime cultural heritage with Wessex Archaeology staff at the sponsor exhibition stand. A huge drawcard was the colour 3D print of the Drumbeg wreck site, a fantastic visualisation technique for wreck sites which many colleagues were interested in.
The conference was also an excellent venue to promote the recently launched Marine Antiquities Scheme, funded by The Crown Estate and implemented by Wessex Archaeology. While currently contained to archaeological discoveries made in English and Welsh waters, Scottish delegates showed considerable interest in the scheme. Demonstrations of the easy-to-use MAS app and the opportunity to pick up a some of the scheme’s guides drew in delegates.
True to form, the NAS and SCAPE Trust conference ended with the raffle draw. A unanimous round of applause followed the suggestion that the remaining raffle prize, paintballing, should go to a competition between Wessex Archaeology and CITiZAN. CITiZAN – challenge accepted!