Neolithic axe found near the A382 at Newton Abbot

A pit containing a Neolithic axe and pottery has been discovered during archaeological excavations near the A382 at Newton Abbot.  The axe had been burnt before it was buried in the pit, which had caused it to break into four pieces. The archaeological mitigation works are being undertaken by AC archaeology and SLR Consulting as […]

A new Neolithic henge monument for Devon?

  A recent community archaeology project in Thorverton, partly sponsored by Devon County Council, surpassed all expectations with the discovery of a probable henge, a Neolithic ceremonial monument.  The monument, which first showed as a circular feature on a geophysical survey, proved on excavation to comprise a substantial oval ditched enclosure about 40 metres across […]

Ipplepen Excavations 2019

Excavations on the Iron Age, Roman and early medieval site at Ipplepen continued this summer for an 8th successful year. Ipplepen is proving a remarkable site with features and finds suggesting that this may be more than a typical rural community. This year’s excavation, led by Exeter University, revealed two substantial four-post structures surrounded by […]

Know Your Place in Devon!

In addition to our online Environment Viewer, Historic Environment Records are now also mapped on Know Your Place! They are displayed over basemaps which can be selected from a range of historic and modern maps. Users can also upload and share their own information, helping to build a rich and diverse community map of local […]

Sea and Seasonality: Jane Austen in Devon

Although Jane Austen was largely based in and around Hampshire during her writing years, she was known to have thoroughly enjoyed the British seaside, especially in and around Devon. Austen wrote to her sister Cassandra that “Sidmouth is now talked of as our summer abode” and in another letter Jane favours the seaside above an […]

Georgian-era art could help preserve Devon’s coastal heritage

A ground-breaking resource, which uses artworks dating back to the late 18th century as a tool to help manage risks to Devon’s coastal heritage, has just been published. The CHeRISH Project, commissioned by Historic England and written by coastal scientist and art historian Professor Robin McInnes of Coastal & Geotechnical Services, contrasts 300 images and […]

Devon historic shipwrecks given protection

Three of Devon’s historic wrecks have been designated as scheduled monuments. Two in North Devon are merchant ships from the 1700s, one of them thought to have been carrying a cargo of port wine! (pictured right) The earliest has been lying off Axmouth in East Devon for much longer and has medieval characteristics – it […]

Teaching prehistory for KS1 or KS2? New lesson plans available!

Do you know any primary school teachers looking for ideas about how to teach prehistory? We’ve just added four downloadable KS2 lesson plans and associated resources – and a KS1 lesson plan and resources pack – to our Schools Resources pages. These are based on the imposing site of Hembury Hillfort in the Blackdown Hills. […]

Devon County Council’s environmental data now available online

Devon County Council has recently made its environmental datasets available online in map format! As well as information on landscapes, ecology, flood risk, public access and planning, they include lots of historic environment information, including monuments on the Devon Historic Environment Record and events that have identified or affected the historic environment. Also included are […]

Ipplepen Excavation Open Day

The Exeter University and community archaeological excavation at Dainton Elms Cross, Ipplepen, is taking place this year from 6th June to 1st July. Excavations, prompted by metal-detector finds and a DCC-funded geophysical survey, have already revealed evidence of Iron Age and Romano-British settlement and an early medieval (or post-Roman British) cemetery. New areas of the […]