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Winchester was the Anglo-Saxon capital of England and is one of the most significant and sensitive archaeological sites in the UK. The County Council proposed to refurbish the historic city library, turning it into a new cultural resource centre.
OA’s initial evaluation revealed complex archaeological deposits and the client invited OA onto the design team to help define those works in consultation with the Curatorial Archaeologists, Architects and the Construction Contractor.
Large scale excavation followed, covering an area of c.1,000 metres square and revealing extensive complex stratified remains from the Iron Age oppidum, the Roman civitas capital, the Saxon burh, and the medieval and post-medieval city. The works, which lasted for 10 weeks, were delivered to the predicted programme and involved up to 27 staff with the co-ordination of 5 sub-contractors.
As an integral part of the design team OA were able to offer general advice and technical data from an early stage, which limited costs and minimised the impact of the development upon the archaeological resource.
Changes to the foundation design during the excavation period allowed for additional preservation of archaeology in situ. This followed techniques developed on an earlier scheme in Winchester where OA had digitally modelled development plans against a known archaeological depths and arrived at a solution that allowed construction to proceed while archaeology was preserved and protected under the building.
The Library project had also become a politically sensitive issue, and OA were able to keep all vested interests involved and informed during the works, using local media, poster displays, guided tours and a successful open day. In addition OA were able to include the local museum service, archaeological groups and individuals in the excavation process to ensure the project kept in touch with local people.
