Dig Alderney plans to unearth fort’s secrets
A ROMAN fort could be giving up its secrets this summer, as archaeologists travel to Alderney.
Subject to Covid restrictions, it is hoped that a team of local and UK volunteers, led by former Guernsey Museums director Dr Jason Monaghan, will travel to the northern isle.
Dig Alderney – a charity set up to further archaeological projects in the island – had originally intended to conduct further geophysical survey work on the Iron Age and Roman settlement site on Longis Common, but the pandemic has pushed this back to 2022.
Instead they will focus on the Nunnery – a well-preserved Roman fort.
There are four areas the archaeological team would like to look at, but time might mean just two are achieved.
The first is to look under the sun room, which was one of the few areas undisturbed during the German Occupation. This could reveal the juncture of the Roman south wall with the medieval east wall and may help establish when the fort’s east Roman wall fell onto Longis beach below. It may also establish when the gun ramp was built.
They will also look at the magazine frontage.
The removal of trees and flowerbeds earlier this year will allow access to the German bunker frontage and the inner face of the Roman tower’s south wall and floor.
It is also possible that remains of Tudor occupation of the tower will be found. The team will also be looking for the continuation of the floor in the tower doorway discovered in 2016 and thought to be Tudor.
They will also look at the remains of a building in the north-east corner of the garden, which was possibly constructed in Victorian times.
Dig Alderney will work closely with Visit Alderney, local enthusiasts and States Works to ensure safety, subsequent landscaping and whether revealed structures can safely remain on display to add to public understanding of the fort’s history.
Visitors to the Nunnery during the excavation will be able to observe the work in progress.
Processing of any finds will be carried out on the site and they will be lodged in the Alderney Museum, while any unexpected discoveries may be transported to Guernsey for further study and conservation. The States of Alderney will retain ownership of all finds.
The Nunnery has been in the news lately after the Alderney Bird Observatory, which operates a field centre and hostel, was given three months’ notice leave the premises following a States decision.
