Oxford Archaeology Review - Best Companies

Are you looking for a reputable archaeologist to help with your pre-development archaeology? Are you unsure about the role of archaeology and historic preservation in the planning process?

Oxford Archaeology, founded in 1973, is at the vanguard of the archaeological profession, emphasising the social worth of heritage and the use of the highest archaeological standards. They deliver innovative customer service, environmental sustainability, and a positive and inclusive workplace.

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Learn more in this Oxford Archaeology review.

Oxford Archaeology Overview

With over 420 specialised workers situated in permanent offices in Oxford, Lancaster, and Cambridge, Oxford Archaeology is the UK’s largest independent archaeology and heritage practice. They handle all areas of the historic environment as a multi-disciplinary firm, providing everything from archaeological digs and surveys to landscape and building studies, complex GIS data management systems, and historical consultancy services.

Today, the majority of archaeological work is done in advance of development. With hundreds of clients who recognise them as experts in archaeology, heritage management, and archaeological investigations, Oxford Archaeology is one of the leading service providers in this industry.

They care about helping others discover and enjoy their past as a registered charity with a heritage and education focus. Thousands of people have visited their dig sites during open days and excursions, and volunteers have helped with many of their initiatives.

Oxford Archaeology is a private limited company registered in England with a mission to be at the forefront of developing historical knowledge and collaborating with others for the public good. The Quality Management System at OA has been evaluated and certified to satisfy the ISO 9001:2015 criteria. Everything they do revolves around health and safety. It’s ingrained in their culture and all parts of their business.

Services Offered By Oxford Archaeology

Oxford Archaeology offers the following services:

Planning Enquiry

The National Planning Policy Framework outlines the government’s previous environment planning policies and their implications for planning applications.

Oxford Archaeology is eager to communicate the results of your digs with as many people as possible to maximise the public value of the work you pay for. They have a specialised Community Archaeology team that would be pleased to speak with you about the prospects for your initiative to achieve positive attention.

They have teams of expert archaeologists based in Oxford, Lancaster, and Cambridge locations who deploy across England and beyond. For a quote, contact the office closest to your location.

Desk-based Assessments

Local planning authorities may request a desk-based study to determine whether archaeology is likely discovered on a site and the extent of excavation required. A desk-based assessment is a review of relevant historical records. The experts at Oxford Archaeology analyse this data to estimate how the region was used in the past and what archaeological relics are likely to survive.

Environmental Impact Assessments

Oxford Archaeology has worked on some of the UK’s most well-known environmental impact assessments (EIAs). They’ve assessed airport expansions, transportation, and road and urban developments. The best practice template for cultural heritage evaluation was produced through their work on High Speed 1 and the Highways Agency’s Design Manual for Roads and Bridges. They produced the definitive study of the efficiency of EIAs, commissioned by the Council of Europe in 2010.

Heritage Statements and Advice

They are frequently chosen to do research and provide strategic and policy advice to local and regional governments. National and international heritage agencies also selected them as leaders in the field.

Evaluation

Before planning clearance for your project may be given, a local government may demand an archaeological evaluation. Machine excavation of trial trenches and geophysical survey are standard methods of assessment. The review assesses archaeological remains’ extent, type, and preservation in proportion to a development area. Walkovers, test pitting, and auguring are examples of other types of examination. Oxford Archaeology can give any evaluation requested.

Archaeological Survey

Oxford Archaeology’s concentration on digital technology innovation enables them to provide speed, accuracy, and 3D mapping. The introduction of cutting-edge digital surveying techniques is changing how they document their excavations, structures, and landscapes. These techniques are quick, precise, and can produce 3D records of archaeological remains.

Photogrammetric mapping, which uses images taken from a UAV (drone) to construct realistic three-dimensional representations of nearly anything, including standing stones, artefacts, historic structures, and entire landscapes, is the most well-known of these approaches. Differential RTK GPS, 3D laser scanning, LiDAR, and Total Station surveys are other data collection techniques. The survey team at OA is well trained, has a lot of expertise, and is fully licensed by the Civil Aviation Authority to do commercial aerial work.

They also conduct geophysical surveys, which they perform in-house or commission from third-party sources for larger projects. Their Geomatics Department offers unrivalled data collecting and GIS application services for heritage management, predictive modelling, and research-oriented applications. They can work with legacy data or provide data for bespoke systems if necessary, and they can handle data from most modern techniques.

Excavation

Excavation can be a frightening concept. Budgets, timelines, and profits can all be affected by recording archaeological deposits.

While Oxford Archaeology will work with you to limit or eliminate any requirements for archaeological work, excavation may be required where vital archaeological remains have been identified during appraisal.

For developers, Oxford Archaeology is the obvious choice. Every year, they complete hundreds of projects. They will give you the same high degree of commitment whether you are a local builder or an international enterprise.

Monitoring

Local governments typically request monitoring, also known as watching briefs, when prior studies, such as desk-based assessments or evaluations, have indicated minor levels of archaeological significance. Monitoring is frequently the most cost-effective strategy to reduce development’s potential archaeological risk.

Historic Buildings and Environment

The history of a building is hidden behind plaster, beneath floors, and in attics. Building studies can help inform the initial stages of alterations to a structure and lead to feasible plans that satisfy planning standards.

Building recording may be required as a conservation management plan, an application for listed building status, or scheduled monument consent. It may also be required before or during development to mitigate the impact on historic fabric or structures.

Oxford Archaeology has a long history of building research and documentation, using various archaeological techniques to produce valuable and appealing illustrated studies. They’ve looked into a wide variety of structures, including medieval timber-framed houses, agricultural buildings, castles and forts, churches, country mansions, royal palaces, and railway, industrial, and defence structures.

Landscapes

Oxford Archaeology has the tools and know-how to assist you in mapping and managing landscapes. The archaeological landscapes of Britain’s unimproved fields are some of the most amazing, with relics from all periods visible on the surface. Wild uplands, designed parklands, woods, lowland wetlands, intertidal lands, and even urban landscapes are among these landscapes, each keeping a distinct vision of the world.

Burials Archaeology

Heritage Burial Services is the largest osteoarchaeologist team dedicated solely to all aspects of burial archaeology within any commercial archaeological business. They operate throughout the United Kingdom and Europe. They are committed to upholding the highest professional, intellectual, commercial, and ethical standards in their work.

Developers, historical organisations, church councils, educational organisations, private persons, archaeological businesses, and the police are among the people they cooperate with. Among the services they provide are:

Consultancy
Identification of human remains on the spot
Updated legal advice
Fieldwork
Archaeology of funerary monuments
Archaeology of post-medieval burials
Watching briefs
Human remains assessment after excavation
Reports from clients
Analysis and recording of coffins, coffin fittings, and above-ground memorials from the post-medieval period
Advice on human remains with radiological and biomolecular analysis
Database of graves on the internet
Organising and providing advice on reburial
Community involvement and training
Publication

Finds Specialists

From their excavations, Oxford Archaeology retrieves a variety of artefacts. From the moment a find is recovered until deposited in a museum, it is given the proper care. They have specialists in pottery, ceramic building materials, fired clay, animal and human bone, metal artefacts, glass, worked stone, bone, wood, lithics, and other areas.

Their staff is on hand to catalogue, appraise, interpret, and analyse the material and communicate their research findings through publications, presentations, and exhibits.

They provide professional open access services to outside agencies, such as other archaeological organisations, community groups, schools, and members of the general public, and analyse material from their projects. Museum-accredited conservators preserve metalwork and minor treasures.

Environmental Archaeology

From project idea to publication, Oxford Archaeology’s highly trained and skilled environmental specialists provide a comprehensive service, employing botanical and faunal remains to recreate and interpret historical environments, diets, and economies.

Senior archaeobotanists and archaeozoologists on staff have experience identifying, assessing, and analysing charred and waterlogged plant macrofossils, pollen, animal, bird, and fish bones, as well as terrestrial, freshwater, and marine molluscs. For the examination of additional palaeoenvironmental indicators, they have strong collaborative relationships with prominent experts.

They can guide sampling and interpreting archaeological deposits and sedimentary sequences, as well as scientific dating, in collaboration with their geoarchaeologists. They can process environmental samples both in-house and on-site, thanks to purpose-built facilities, the latter allowing for direct input during excavation as part of an iterative and integrated excavation strategy.

Their employees are accessible for on-site or off-site consultations, as well as seminars and workshops on any part of their job.

Geoarchaeology

Archaeological investigations of deep sediment sequences are frequently required during the planning or mitigation stages of developments in river valleys, estuaries, and coastal areas, where archaeological deposits may be buried deeply.

Oxford Archaeology seeks out, recovers, and interprets evidence of previous landscapes to determine the nature of artificial and natural buried sediments, estimate their archaeological potential, and assist in identifying archaeological sites.

They’re one of the few archaeological practices that offer a full range of geoarchaeological services in-house. Borehole, drill, test pitting surveys, and 3D deposit modelling are all done by them. They work on various multi-period sites, ranging from small residential complexes to substantial infrastructure projects like High Speed 1, Crossrail, and Thameslink.

Reporting and Archiving

The outcomes of OA’s evaluations and excavations are written up as technical reports, often known as grey literature if they are not published as monographs or reports in archaeological journals. The public has access to many of their reports.

The reports are submitted to county Historic Environment Records, which are open to the public. Copies of the reports are deposited with authorised museums or other repositories with the project archives. Their reports are also accessible to download from their digital library, and the OASIS website has information about their sites.

Regardless of how fieldwork findings are disseminated, their dedicated Graphics Office has a team of illustrators on hand to create high-impact and informative graphics in various styles, from pen and paper to digital, to best suit the report and budget enhance the presentation of the findings.

Digital Heritage

Archaeological research yields a great deal of helpful knowledge. These datasets may be stored and managed more efficiently with the help of digital tools. These methods maximise the amount of knowledge gained and allow data to be communicated to the most significant potential audience.

In this quickly changing industry, OA is a leader in both existing practices and new tools, methodologies, and outputs. Digital technologies are progressing at a breakneck speed. Knowing to manage these new resources enhances their heritage research and gives them a more efficient service.

Intangible Cultural Heritage

Individuals and communities carry on intangible cultural heritage from generation to generation, providing a feeling of identity, location, and continuity while recognising cultural variation and human innovation. We often celebrate our cultural past in the modern world through leisure activities, exhibitions, museums, and visitor centres.

OA has a long history of assisting and partnering with organisations and communities to enhance their cultural heritage for recreation and tourism, both in the UK and internationally. They help develop projects that audit assets and deliver research and tourism efforts in collaboration with their professional partner, Touch TD.

They’ve collaborated on the design and delivery of visitor centres and museums and the installation of various temporary and permanent educational exhibits that included their bespoke graphics, information panels, reconstructions, and selected artefacts. They’ve also constructed pop-up facilities that are used as part of travelling exhibitions.

Their speciality is in taking raw data, placing it in its archaeological or historical context, and bringing it to life with well-crafted, evidence-based prose and images.

Oxford Archaeology Contact Details

For more information, you can contact the nearest Oxford Archaeology office to your location.

Oxford Archaeology East

For the east of England, contact Paul Spoerry at:

Address: 15 Trafalgar Way, Bar Hill, Cambridge, CB23 8SQ
Phone: +44 (0)1223 850 500
Email: [email protected]

Oxford Archaeology North

For northern England and Scotland, contact Alan Lupton at:

Address: Mill 3, Moor Lane Mills, Moor Lane, Lancaster, LA1 1QD
Phone: +44 (0)1524 880 250
Email: [email protected]

Oxford Archaeology South

For the rest of the UK and international, contact Katrina Anker at:

Address: Janus House, Osney Mead, Oxford, OX2 0ES
Phone: +44 (0)1865 980 700
Email: [email protected]

Alternatively, you can contact OA using [email protected], and they will get back to you as soon as possible.

Oxford Archaeology Reviews

There are currently no written reviews about Oxford Archeology, but most of their clients have left them 5-star ratings on Google.

Summary

OA’s archaeologists are among the best in the field, as this Oxford Archaeology review points out. Over the previous 45 years, they have worked on every type of archaeological project in the United Kingdom. Oxford Archaeology has the expertise to handle any job, large or small, complex or straightforward. They are continuously looking for ways to innovate and improve to ensure that their service is as valuable as possible to their customers.

They recognise that developers require commercially savvy archaeologists who can help them meet their objectives. They realise the need to manage budgets and schedules and minimise the impact of unexpected discoveries. They will provide you with actual help and advice from the beginning of your project as part of your design team. Their professionals will collaborate with you to decrease risks and control costs.

Their field teams are experienced in dealing with a wide range of sites. They have a proven track record of generating findings that satisfy the planning authority and allow you to discharge your archaeological obligations.

Full List Of Archaeology Companies

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