Blagdon Local History Society

Kate (above left) is the Conservation & Heritage Officer for North Somerset Council & Cat (above right) is the Senior Archaeologist .  They work closely together in conserving our local heritage and also in publicising what they do by going out into the community, which includes talking to groups such as ours.  They are both full-time employees, which is the exception rather than the rule plus there is a part-time Historic Environment Record (HER) Officer.  It was a very interesting talk of which the following is only a partial coverage and there are many ways in which we will follow up as a society.  We would encourage all our readers to follow the links at the end of this article.

​

Every Monday, the list of between 50 and 100 new planning applications has to be gone through and a selection made of those having implications for our heritage, and make recommendations for further work or mitigation. They stressed how important it is for them to make their presence known at as early a stage as possible in the planning process so that they can affect matters before any decisions are taken.  Cat gave the example of a Roman pottery kiln in Congresbury, which was in the line of the new Bristol Water pipeline constructed from Barrow Gurney to Cheddar.  While half a ton of pottery was excavated and saved, part of the site itself was irrevocably damaged by the works.  The kiln has been preserved ‘by record’. Its excavation has enabled experts to define a ‘Congresbury Ware’ typology which has subsequently been identified over a wider area of the South West than previously believed.