My report on the excavation of Roman buildings on Longis Common is published in the latest edition of the Alderney Society Bulletin. Due to the passage of time I have been able to combine the tentative results of the fortuitous discoveries of 2017, the dig where I was assisted by school students in 2018 and the formal excavation of 2019.
Our trenches uncovered part of the plan of a large building with three rooms, or three adjacent buildings, whose walls were still standing 800mm above the Roman land surface. It extends for at least 20 metres along a pavement almost parallel to the existing road called Les Mielles and is six metres deep.
The Bulletin also contains an update by my colleague Dr Phil de Jersey on the carbon-14 dating of Iron Age human remains from trenches further to the north.
Well done Jason. It is good to read that you managed to make opportunities for young people to help and contribute to your research.
I am hoping to visit Alderney this (2022) summer with a few chums, maybe Julie too.
Will you be there at all? Our dates are tbc.
Thanks Jason.
I have discussed the idea of a holiday on Alderney with Julie and a group of close friends. The concept is gathering traction. Waggoners dates do you plan to be there in 2022?
A vuu of sit to the Nunnery, ideally with you as a guide would be wonderful. If this is impossible would you consider coming to York to give a talk on the ship, nunnery etc. I’ll gladly arrange a room etc.
Best wishes
Bone
Dear Jason, I am very interested in your excavations at the Nunnery, Alderney, having written an article for Antiquaries Journal on the five Yorkshire sites and also a (forthcoming ) conference paper to be published by Brill. I am particularly interested in any computations on the height of the central tower, having a view that these were actually timber towers set inside a stione base, and in the same vein as many sites on the Rhine and Danube, built under Valentinian 1. The height of the outer enclosure, with crenellations, also seems very useful.
I’m currently working on a monograph on the Nunnery and having just finished the MS of my latest novel will be slinging back to it. The outer walls including crenellations come in at 7 metres at the highest point. We have extant tower walls up to around 4.5m (but I will have to recheck that) and 2.9m thick. I believe this is adequate to support an all-stone structure to some height – there is a lot of rubble and tile on the site deeply buried beneath the 1793 modifications and probably from the tower originally. However I’m interested in hearing any new ideas, and of seeing your conference papers. I can be contacted directly via secretary@digalderney.gg