Archaeological Illustrations

I was recently commissioned by York Archaeology on behalf of Cemex UK to produce artist impressions of an 8th Century Anglo Saxon bridge on the River Trent along with an ancient landing stage discovered around Cromwell Village near Newark, Nottinghamshire.

The bridge has some significance being the only one of it's kind discovered during that period in Britain. Initially it was identified as roman, after the remnants timbers and stone piers were found during dredging work in the 19th Century. But tree ring dating from the timber (currently housed at Newark Museum) in the 1970's, pointed to the timber being felled during the saxon period AD 740-750. The bridge is believed to be at the same site as where Cromwell lock and weir is situated. The landing stage illustration represents a place where river traffic was moored up and for the unloading of goods/passengers. This was located at the quarry not far from from where the river is now located (The river channel would of migrated through its floodplain over time.) The illustrations were added to the display boards which have now be placed around the areas of the archaeological finds.

This was a highly enjoyable project and the second in a series of illustations I have created from a historical perpective, the other being the discovery of an Anglo Saxon Sword in Kirk Hallam, Nottinghamshire.

If you happen to walk by the lock at Cromwell in Nottinghamshire, here are the map locations you can use to see them:-  DISPLAY BOARD 1    DISPLAY BOARD 2