18 July 2006 - TARMAC ENSURES HISTORY REMAINS AT BROOM QUARRY
Tarmac Ltd is spearheading a landscape archaeology project which could act as valuable case study in evaluating waterlogged sites near quarries.
The aim of the project is to restore the water management system around a series of medieval moats which are close to Tarmac's Broom Quarry in Bedfordshire. The site has multiple water-filled channels which connect the two moats.
The project will seek to determine the extent and condition of the monument, establish the historic hydrology, create a management plan and establish a sustainable hydrological regime. The investigations have been divided into 2 phases. Phase 1, which recently started, focuses on survey activities and the development of the management plan. Phase 2, the establishment of a sustainable water management regime is likely to start in 2007 and will be dependent on the findings from phase 1.
Tarmac has secured £36,000 of funding from the Aggregate Levy Sustainability Fund (ALSF) to assess the water management on the moated system. The company has also committed £9,000 towards phase 1 and will fund the installation of the water management system.
Mark Joel, area director at Tarmac said: "Thanks to funding support from the ALSF, the research will provide a greater understanding of this site and protect the historical features for future generations.
"This illustrates Tarmac's commitment to the preservation and management of treasured heritage sites. We have a long established relationship with English Heritage and are delighted to be working with them and cultural heritage consultant, Andrew Josephs, on this exciting archaeological project.
"Extraction will be completed at Broom Quarry in the next four years and the site will be completely restored, providing a fantastic historical centre piece for the local area."
John Ette, Inspector of Ancient Monuments of English Heritage, who distributes part of the Fund on behalf of Department for Environment, Food, and Rural Affairs (Defra), said: "English Heritage welcomes this exciting project which will greatly increase understanding and enjoyment of this nationally important medieval site. We hope that once complete it will secure the long term sustainable management of this unusual and complex series of moats and islands, which has lain hidden and partly obscured.
"The majority of moats were built as prestigious high status residences in the Medieval period for local lords and nobles, but others were associated with monasteries such as the nearby site at Old Warden and they may have housed lay brothers or keepers who provided fish, game and other provisions for the monastery. The survey and management works will allow us to understand more fully what purpose the moats may have served and give us a better picture of the distribution of wealth and status in the countryside at this time."
Tarmac has been quarrying at the site in Broom since 1997.
