Oakford Archaeology

Oakford Archaeology Oakford Archaeology is a small independent archaeological practice based in Devon and Somerset. archaeologists.net).

Oakford Archaeology is a small independent archaeological practice based in Exeter. OA is committed to conserving and enhancing the distinctiveness of the historic environment and heritage of the UK by providing clients with a number of services including:

• Historic building surveys and analysis
• Assessments and evaluations
• Excavations and watching briefs
• Community archaeology
• Post-excava

tion analysis and publication
• Outreach: exhibitions, publication, presentations

OA has a proven track record of delivering a dedicated and highly professional service to both public and private sector clients. Our aim is to ensure that all archaeological conditions are fullfilled, whilst ensuring both the least possible delay to project schedules and minimising costs to our clients. We are also committed to providing training and support for both local community based archaeological projects and broader research lead investigations. We understand that our business relies on customer satisfaction and always provide a friendly and professional service. As a small company you are likely to deal with the same person from the initial quotation and design stage, through to the fieldwork and final publication. OA follows the Institute for Archaeologists’ Standards and Code of Conduct – IfA (www.

The remains of a Victorian nursery and row of houses have been exposed during our ongoing watching brief at the old bus ...
24/04/2026

The remains of a Victorian nursery and row of houses have been exposed during our ongoing watching brief at the old bus station in Taunton, Somerset. The buildings were first depicted on the mid 19th century tithe map and demolished sometime in the mid 20th century. The remains continue to be cleaned by our archaeologists to reveal the floor plan and layout of the structures and their surrounds.

Our watching brief at St Margaret's church, Topsham, Devon, during the excavation of drainage trenches has revealed made...
13/04/2026

Our watching brief at St Margaret's church, Topsham, Devon, during the excavation of drainage trenches has revealed made grounds and a possible buried topsoil.

A church has likely stood on this site since the 10th century when, in 937, King Æthelstan, granted a parcel of land at 'Toppesham' to the monastery Church of St Mary and St Peter. The church was re-consecrated in the mid 15th century, possibly about the time the current tower was built. The church was rebuilt after a fire in 1676, and again in 1874-6, at a cost of £8,550 to plans by the architect Edward Ashworth (1814-96).

exeter

Our watching brief at Lydford, Devon, during works to construct a new extension.The origins of the earliest settlement a...
08/04/2026

Our watching brief at Lydford, Devon, during works to construct a new extension.

The origins of the earliest settlement at Lydford are uncertain. A fragment of early post-Roman pottery was recovered near the castle, and there are some indications that the church site may be of Early Christian origin. The overall plan of the settlement today, however, dates to the late 9th or early 10th century, when Lydford was established as a burh (Saxon defended town) by King Alfred and his successors as part of a defensive system against Danish raids in southern England.

The burh is sited on a promontory
with natural defences on three sides but was additionally defended by massive
surrounding banks and ditches. Substantial remains of the defensive banks survive within the village and are incorporated within the Scheduled Monument area.

dartmoor

Our watching brief at St Catherine's Castle, Fowey, during the installation of new handrails has exposed a void beneath ...
30/03/2026

Our watching brief at St Catherine's Castle, Fowey, during the installation of new handrails has exposed a void beneath the stairs within which an earlier phase of render of the outer magazine wall is visible. The magazine was constructed in the 19th century as part of broader defensive works in response to the Crimean war. The new structures were cut directly into the bedrock as was the earlier castle and a series of granite plaques engraved with 'WD 1855' commemorated these works.

St Catherine’s Castle was named after the rocky headland on which it stands, itself named for the medieval St Catherine’s Chapel which once stood on its highest point. Its position above the entrance to the Fowey estuary, allows views across the town and harbour.

cornwall

Some sites can produce finds from a wide range of time periods. Today we have been taking a final look at material from ...
17/03/2026

Some sites can produce finds from a wide range of time periods. Today we have been taking a final look at material from our excavations at Exeter Cathedral before they are returned to be archived for future research. Material at sites like Exeter Cathedral can date from the Roman period all the way to the Victorian period, showing the vast array of the use of the land over a long period of time.

Our watching brief at Buckfast Abbey during works to the Methodist Chapel comes to a close. The chapel was constructed i...
20/02/2026

Our watching brief at Buckfast Abbey during works to the Methodist Chapel comes to a close. The chapel was constructed in 1881, prior to the reestablishment of the Abbey in 1882 which has since developed around the chapel.

Buckfast Abbey was originally founded in 1018 by Ealdorman Aethelweard as a Benedictine monastery and remained in use until its surrender to the crown in 1539 following the Dissolution under Henry VIII. The Abbey lands were sold off, its outbuildings converted to secular use and the main complex left to fall into ruin. In 1882, the manor was acquired by a fraternity of monks from France who excavated the ruins of the former church and rebuilt it over its medieval foundations. The site remains in use as a monastery today.

The excavation of a series of postholes for the installation of new hand rails at St Catherine's Castle, Fowey, Cornwal...
19/02/2026

The excavation of a series of postholes for the installation of new hand rails at St Catherine's Castle, Fowey, Cornwall.

Following the Reformation and the fear of of attack from France and Spain, a blockhouse was constructed at St Catherine's Point between 1538 and 1540 to strengthen the defences of the Fowey estuary.

Following the start of the Crimean War in 1853, a two-gun battery was installed on a levelled platform below the blockhouse and a magazine was built into the rock beside the entrance. These works being commemorated by a series of granite plaques marked ‘WD 1855’.

From June 1940, the fort became the site of two anti-aircraft guns protected by a large concrete shelter. A concrete pillbox was built beside it and the magazine was brought back into use with the blockhouse serving as the firing point for a controlled minefield laid across the mouth of the estuary.

After WW2 came to a close, the guns were dismantled and the concrete shelter, pillbox and gun foundations broken up. A series of slots, grooves and plugholes survive within the rock cut recesses and mark the positions of roofs, joists and walling of these former structures.

A bone game counter recovered during our ongoing watching brief at Slaughterbridge, Cornwall. The works have revealed a ...
12/02/2026

A bone game counter recovered during our ongoing watching brief at Slaughterbridge, Cornwall. The works have revealed a pit and three postholes cut into the underlying bedrock that lies immediately below the slate and granite slab floors.

The barton of Worthyvale was sold to Edward Boscawen in 1674, passing to his son Hugh following his death in 1685. Hugh and his wife Charlotte were members of the royal household, and the owner of the Chacewater Mines at the time when these were the most productive and innovative in Cornwall. In 1701, he inherited Tregothnan on the death of his uncle and it is likely that they moved there, and that Worthyvale soon after became a hunting-seat for the family. The main door to the manor, despite likely being of 16th-17th date bears the engraving 'HB 1703'.

Works to restore the 17th century Worthyvale Manor, Slaughterbridge, commence with the lowering of internal floor levels...
02/02/2026

Works to restore the 17th century Worthyvale Manor, Slaughterbridge, commence with the lowering of internal floor levels to install underfloor heating.

The barton of Worthyvale, now known as Worthyvale Manor, lay within the manor of
Worthyvale, owned from at least the 12th century, along with Botreaux Castle or Boscastle, by the Botterell or Botreaux family. The Worthyvale family can be traced to at least the 13th century, suggesting a house on or near the site from that period. The last member of the Worthyvale family, Christopher, inherited the barton on the death of his father Walter in 1611, around the time the current manor house was built.

The remnants of a cobbled surface that possibly formed an earlier internal floor surface survives beneath the 19th-20th century main stairway. A line of 3 postholes indicate the possible location of a former stairway.

Church of St Germanus (of Auxerre), St Germans, Cornwall. We are currently working on a desk-based assessment of this im...
17/01/2026

Church of St Germanus (of Auxerre), St Germans, Cornwall. We are currently working on a desk-based assessment of this important ecclesiastical building, collating information about the early monastic community starting perhaps as early as the mid-5C AD and the centre of an independent bishopric and Minster by the 10C, becoming the first Cathedral of Cornwall. In 1042 the see moved to Crediton in Devon and the site became a Priory of Canons Regular sometime between 1046-73. It was subsequently re-established as a house of Augustinian Canons under Bishop Bartholomew in about 1170.

The work also includes looking at the development of the historic building fabric and below-ground excavation in order to shed light on the development of the church. The present building replaced the earlier Anglo-Saxon church and was built on a grand scale with a beautiful Romanesque west front and two towers, while internally the first two arcades of the south aisle survive from the Norman church with clerestory windows with chevron jambs above. Remains of at least three rooflines survive in the west elevation of the south aisle, the latter having been extensively rebuilt to its current width in the 15C. The east end of the Norman church was demolished some time after the Dissolution in 1592, while the Norman north aisle was demolished and rebuilt in the late 19C.

The adjacent Port Eliot House, formerly the claustral ranges of the monastery including the Chapter House, refectory and dormitory etc was leased to John Champernown by Henry VIII who held it until 1564 when it was acquired by the Eliot Family who still own it today.





Address

56 Bridge Street
Taunton
TA11UD

Opening Hours

Monday 8am - 5pm
Tuesday 8am - 5pm
Wednesday 8am - 5pm
Thursday 8am - 5pm
Friday 8am - 5pm

Telephone

+447562920885

Website

Alerts

Be the first to know and let us send you an email when Oakford Archaeology posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Contact The Business

Send a message to Oakford Archaeology:

Shortcuts

Share

Category