About Us

Teffont Archaeology began in life as the Teffont Archaeology Project in 2008, as a research project collaborating with the local community in Teffont to investigate a previously unknown Roman site.

The project grew to a major archaeological research effort, including a series of summer field schools with approximately 40 participants each year between 2010 and 2015. In 2014-15 these included work at the South Wiltshire temple and the Deverill villa in collaboration with the PASt Landscapes Project, codirected by Richard Henry and David Roberts.

A series of excavations was undertaken at Teffont by a small team between 2017 and 2021, with a large-scale field school season taking students from Cardiff University and local volunteers from Cranborne Chase National Landscape and the Wiltshire Archaeology Field Group in 2023. One final season at Teffont took place in 2024 with a team of professionals and experienced volunteers.

In recent years our scope has since expanded to cover other Roman sites in South-West Wiltshire, including widespread geophysical survey, recording legacy metal-detected finds collections, and the excavation of Iron Age and Roman settlements at Coombe Bissett, and a Roman villa in the Chalke Valley.

We strongly believe in the importance of enhancing the wellbeing of our volunteers through participation in our excavations, and in encouraging further participation in the heritage sector, whether paid or voluntary.

Alongside our community volunteers, our 2023 and 2024 seasons saw collaboration with Carers Support Wiltshire to provide opportunities for carers to experience a day of excavation, and also provided Positive Action Placements, funded by the NLHF, to provide paid training placements to those from diverse or disadvantaged backgrounds who are underrepresented in the archaeology sector.

The project works in partnership with local, regional and national people, communities and organisations to build stronger links with heritage, and work towards the project's academic and community research aims, which are as follows:

    1. To contribute towards community and academic understandings of the archaeological heritage of South Wiltshire and the wider region.
    2. To understand anthropogenic, environmental, and geological processes acting on the landscapes of South Wiltshire.
    3. To study Roman archaeology through innovative fieldwork methods and inclusive interpretive discussions, and create holistic narratives based on theorised fieldwork.
    4. To provide high quality and positive, inclusive and interactive experiences of archaeology to all participants and stakeholders in the project, making archaeology accessible to all.
    5. To produce high quality and accessible publications and archives of all fieldwork, and actively promote the value, inclusivity and relevance of heritage in the local community today. 

Meet the Teffont Archaeology steering group

Dr David Roberts
David is a Senior Lecturer at Cardiff University and specialises in Roman landscapes and religion, and archaeological fieldwork.
Dr David RobertsDirector
Dr Denise Wilding
Denise is a freelance archaeologist, having worked with artefacts at the British Museum, English Heritage and Salisbury Museum and elsewhere, specialising in Roman coins.
Dr Denise WildingCo-Director / Post-excavation Manager
Mike Emra
Mike is a professional archaeologist with over 15 years of experience of excavation across the UK, and specialises in excavation training
Mike EmraCo-Director / Senior Excavation Supervisor
Ruby Neale
Ruby is a senior manager in UK commercial archaeology, specialising in excavation fieldwork and post-excavation reporting
Ruby NealeSenior Excavation Supervisor
Paul Durdin
Paul has been a freelance archaeologist for 8 years, working on a wide variety of commercial, community and research projects, including working on the Ness of Brodgar excavations in Orkney
Paul DurdinSenior Excavation Supervisor
Rob Dickson
Rob is a senior teacher in UK primary education, with a decade of experience undertaking welfare support on archaeological fieldwork
Rob DicksonWelfare Officer
Alyson Tanner
Alyson works for the Portable Antiquities Scheme at Salisbury Museum and has extensive experience of community excavation, landscape archaeology and finds research
Alyson Tanner Co-Director - Coombe Bissett excavations
Evie
Evie is a very good girl
EvieWelfare Dog

Our Supervisors

We have a large team of dedicated staff who return to our projects to work with us, who have spent years training and engaging volunteers on our projects and beyond. We bring the best of professional, academic and community archaeologists together to benefit our volunteers and communities we work with.

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