Hello from Chedworth!

The Chedworth Excavations blog has been very quiet over the last four months but the mosaics have been carefully protected and building work has begun.  The photograph shows the scaffolding in progress over the whole of the West Range. 

The project will be completed by March 2012 and we will then excavate and conserve the rest of the corridor.  The blog will return! 

In the meantime, please enjoy our posts from last year.  In the posts below you will find the conservators, the protection of the historic fabric, and the story of the excavations. 

Best wishes,

Guy

Meet the Team… Victoria Frenzel

Victoria Frenzel

Victoria began her studies in archaeology and classics in Berlin at the Freie Universitat. After several years as a practicing archaeologist and conservator of objects and architecture from the Middle Ages, Renaissance and Modern Age in Berlin and Brandenburg, she sought further education at the Academy of Fine Arts in Dresden, studying the conservation of mural paintings and historic surfaces.  Conservation of architectural surfaces has taken her to work in Africa in the Sudan as well as Britain for the Chedworth mosaics. Fluent in German, French, Latin, Italian and English, Victoria is a freelance conservator who also works in a bookstore specializing in art literature.

Meet the Team… Hannah Moots

Hannah Moots

Hannah studied anthropology at the University of Chicago, focusing on Africa, conducting research and excavation in Niger. Working in the fossil preparation laboratory at the University of Chicago, she developed an interest in palaeontology and archaeological research, leading to a Master’s degree in archaeological science from Cambridge University. Beyond laboratory based research, Hannah has worked in museum settings as a collections manager at the American Museum of Natural History in New York, and a historic interpreter for a monument site in Oyne, Scotland, demonstrating ancient techniques of bronze working and tablet weaving for visitors. She has taken opportunities to interpret archaeology and heritage for the public by teaching for Project Exploration in Chicago, as well as for the Higher Education Field Academy at Cambridge.

Meet the Team… Vicki de Baerdemaeker

A books, papers and archive conservation professional by training, Vicki studied liberal arts as well as paper and books conservation at Bruges, specializing in parchment conservation, iron gall ink treatment and the conservation of wax seals.  She has worked conserving the archives for the Library of Bruges, Archives of Bruges, OCMW archive, and also the local archives of Tielt. As a member of ICON, Vicki has volunteered for Blue Shield emergency conservation projects, including the lost archives at Cologne.  Additional interests including book binding and headbands as well as fine hand crafts such as embroidery, weaving and knitting.  I am passionately looking for an internship in conservation of books and paper after the work at Chedworth is completed.  Fluent in Dutch, French, English and German.  vicki-de-baerdemaeker@hotmail.com

Vicki de Baerdemaeker

Meet the Team… Rebecca Bradshaw

Rebecca Bradshaw

Studying ancient history at the University of Warwick, Rebecca developed an interest in classical history including Latin and Greek language study and Hieroglyphs translation, leading to a Master’s degree in Egyptology from the University of Cambridge. As an archaeologist, Rebecca has given back to her community in Cambridge through work teaching local young people about archaeology and heritage at the Higher Education Field Academy. After her conservation work on the mosaics here at Chedworth is complete, Rebecca is excavating in Egypt for the remainder of the year, in both the Sudan and the Nile Delta region. With a passion for teaching, travelling, journalism and photography, she has lived and worked in much of the Middle East, India, Nepal and the Far East as well as Turkey and parts of Europe. rbradshaw87@gmail.com

Meet the Team… Amanda Watts

Having always had an interest in heritage and preservation, Amanda holds two Master’s in archaeological conservation from University College London, and one in archaeology from Boston University. Alongside her studies, she has spent the past nine years as a practising archaeologist and conservator. Archaeological projects have included the Giza Plateau Mapping Project, excavations in Rapa Nui and Fort Clark, ND, and contracting for the US Department of the Army. Equally active in conservation projects, Amanda has worked in the USA, Turkey, Egypt and the UK as well as being the project manager of the conservation of Roman mosaics at Chedworth for the past year. In the upcoming year Amanda will be working at the Museum of London full time in their archaeological conservation laboratory.  wattsac@gmail.com

Meet the Team… Chris Cleere

Director of Cleere Conservation, Chris has been conserving objects and archaeological sites for nearly 15 years. He studied conservation at UCL’s Institute of Archaeology in London, and has since worked all over the world as a stone conservator, focusing on the Mediterranean countries as well as Eastern Europe.  Cleere Conservation studios are currently based in Rye, where he offers conservation and restoration services as well as manufacture and finishing of materials for sculpture artists, as well as opening studio space to local artists. To find out more, visit www.chriscleere.co.uk for conservation and artists’ resources.

Chris Cleere