It has been a long time since my last newsletter, a very long time. We have
had a period of little activity as we seek to comply with the requirements
of the various bodies that have the final say in how we proceed with the
uncovering of the Oratory. The wheels are grinding slowly, and we all have
to be patient. It is much quicker to cover something up than to uncover it!
AT LAST WE HAVE SOMETHING NEW TO REPORT.
On Saturday January 23rd Cornwall Council’s archaeologists, helped by
volunteers, took shovels, tapes, rods and sandwiches to the Oratory and dug
some test trenches. The objective of the operation was to determine the
level of the Oratory in relation to ground level so that we can get some
reference points for drainage as well as for planning the eventual dig.
This is a very significant event. The statutory authorities, including
English Heritage and Natural England, have now fully accepted in principle
that the Oratory can be uncovered. As I have reported previously, we have
for several years been taking readings of the water levels across the dunes
in order to determine whether any operations to drain water from the Oratory
would have an impact on the rare shoredock plants nearby, and Dave Watkins’
report on those readings has firmly concluded that the water level in the
Oratory is independent of the water level in the area around the shoredock
plants. This means that there is no reason to object to the excavation of
the Oratory on hydrogeological grounds.
The next step is to consider the options for draining the oratory as part of
the wider plan for its conservation once it is uncovered. In order to do
this we have to know the depth of the Oratory floor. In 1958 Ron Hooper
surveyed the site in order to design a drainage system, and on the basis of
the survey made a detailed proposal for a drainage line to be taken from the
Oratory to the stream some 407 metres north of the Oratory. The relative
measurements were taken from the underside of the lintel over the door of
the ‘bunker’ protecting the Oratory, but the reference points of Ron
Hooper’s elevations are not clear. It is necessary therefore to re-establish
a benchmark in order to determine the level of the Oratory in relation to
the surrounding area, in particular to the possible drainage points.
James Gossip from the Historic Environment Service of Cornwall Council, who
has now taken over from Dick Cole (who continues his commitment to the
project and who is now officially a volunteer), and his team, discussed with
Natural England the possibility of digging test trenches to establish the
required benchmark data, and received permission to dig four trenches. One
of the trenches was to seek a level inside the Oratory mound, another was to
explore the levels in Ron Hooper’s proposed drainage line, and the other two
were to determine the characteristics of selected parts of the area
surrounding the Oratory.
The Oratory lake is now quite large as a result of the melting snow and
heavy rains - it is really quite beautiful and I recommend you have a look
at it before it once again disappears. The water levels made it impossible
to dig the test pit in the drainage line without scuba diving gear, so that
has been deferred until a later time. The two pits outside Oratory mound
revealed little that would affect the excavation of the Oratory.
The pit in the Oratory mound itself was the
focal point of our excitement.
You can see in the photo on the right that
the arrow is pointing to the intersection of
two blocks. The bottom block is part of the
buttress, while the top horizontal blocks,
are part of the beam supporting the bunker
roof.
The arrow in the old photograph of the
bunker above shows the spot!
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We also unearthed rotting pieces of green
painted wood - anybody remember seeing
anything that might explain the origin of
these pieces?
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By counting the blocks we can calculate the likely height of the building.
You can see from the photograph above the location of the pit on the right,
about half way down the side of the middle of the mound. As we found the
beam over the top of the entrance level about two metres down, it is clear
that the floor of the Oratory is below the level of the base of the mound.
WHAT ARE THE NEXT STEPS?
On the basis of the data from the test pits we now have the information
required to establish the position of the Oratory within the mound and in
relation to surrounding topography. From this, and from the data from the
hydrogeological survey, we hope to be able to assess whether drainage of the
site will be feasible. Assuming it is, we can then start to consider how an
excavation would be undertaken. We will also have to commission an
assessment of the impact of any work on the ecology of the area: we need to
limit any damage that might occur from access to the site of machinery, the
disposal of spoils, excavation of drainage lines, and so on. The Historic
Environment Service of the Cornwall Council is preparing a report to be
entitled St Piran’s Oratory, Perranzabuloe, Cornwall: a programme for the
re-excavation of an iconic Cornish site, which, when completed, will be
made available on our website.
Assuming we jump all these hurdles, we will need to prepare a plan for the
protection and maintenance of the uncovered Oratory. This is not so
straightforward as much will depend on what we find. As part of this process
we are building a simulation of the Oratory, which, once completed, we will
try to mount on the website.
Above all, we will need to put financing in place for the works. Now that we
have the technical information we need, we should soon be able to begin work
on proposals for lottery and other funding. It is clear that this will be a
difficult year for people seeking lottery funding, and we will have to start
a major campaign of fundraising from private and corporate sources, so if
any readers of this letter have ideas, please let us know.
WHEN WILL WE SEE THE ORATORY EMERGE FROM THE SAND?
We hope that marchers on March 5 2011 will pass by nearly completed works,
though weather may mean that the full excavation cannot be started until
later in the year. This year will be spent preparing the plans, getting all
the permissions, and putting financing in place. So there is some way to go
yet. But we hope with the continued support of the county archaeologists, of
English Heritage and of Natural England, and growing support from people in
Cornwall and outside, we will get there.
AND THANK YOU …
to all those people who have contributed to us since our appeal last March.
Your contributions are important and have been acknowledged on the web site.
And of course to the volunteers on the dig.
Perran
Penrose
Chairman
