Wessex Archaeology’s Coastal & Marine’s Peta Knott has been visiting wharves in Kent to raise awareness of the Marine Aggregates Protocol for Archaeological Discoveries.
The Protocol, which is supported by the British Marine Aggregate Producers Association, The Crown Estate and English Heritage, has just entered its tenth year providing a safety-net for archaeological discoveries made during aggregate dredging.
One such find was reported during Peta’s visit and used as a hands-on training exercise for the wharf’s staff. The newly appointed Site Champion for Johnson’s Wharf, James Davis, demonstrated first-hand how to record and photograph the find. These visits empower industry staff to recognise archaeology and show them how to report discoveries through the scheme.
Peta is also delivering the latest Dredged Up newsletter which focuses on World War I losses.
To date, over 1,100 archaeological finds from the seabed have been protected through the Protocol including Palaeolithic hand axes and World War II aircraft.
The find from Johnson’s Wharf, Greenhithe, is being investigated by the Protocol Implementation Service team and the results will be published on the discoveries web page when our investigation is complete.
