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Wernfawr
Dig Diary
As part of Exploration Tywi! we have begun our
investigation at Wernfawr, a deserted farmstead near Penybanc outside
Llandeilo. |
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The site first came
to our attention when excavations ahead of the construction of the
gas pipeline in 2007, revealed a couple of corn drying ovens. These
structures, which were once common near farmsteads, are now rarely
seen.
A small excavation last year discovered evidence
of the catastrophic fire which led to the abandonment of the farmhouse.
An excavation by volunteers is currently taking place to find out
the origins and development of the farmstead. What can we discover
about life on a rural farmstead? |
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Day 1 - Tuesday 13th April
2010
Catriona, Brian and Celia begin the arduous task
of removing the turf and soil build-up over the remains of the farmhouse
at Wernfawr, but the glorious sunshine keeps everyone smiling. |
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Day 2 - Wednesday 14th April
2010
Gwilym’s gardening experience comes in handy
as we try to clear access to the standing walls. Although, as the
portaloos fail to arrive, we begin to regret removing so many convenient
bushes. |
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Day 3 - Thursday 15th April
2010
After a chilly day 2 the sun returns on day 3 and
rapid progress is made on clearing away the years of soil and vegetation
build-up within the farmhouse since it burnt down in 1911. Already
an impressive slate floor is showing up at one end - carefully cleaned
by Tony and Ken with his kids, less carefully cleaned by Gwilym
and his pick.
Whilst at the other end of the farmhouse Brian
starts to uncover a cobbled floor. |
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Day 4 - Friday 16th April
2010
Anthony and Celia begin to uncover the farmhouse
walls at the southern end of the building. |
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Day 5 - Saturday 17th April
2010
Louise, Hazel and Eleri give up their weekend to
uncover more of the cobbling at the southern end of the farmhouse.
So intent on the archaeology, Kieran gets shovelled
away. |
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Day 6 - Sunday 18th April
2010
At the end of the first week the farmhouse begins
to take shape and several different rooms are revealed.
One of the more unexpected finds of the weekend,
a small newt sheltering among some of the loose stones. |
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Day 7 - Tuesday 20th April
2010
Mike battles through root-encrusted soil to uncover
more of the comfy domestic end of the house with its nice slate-slab
floor.
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Day 8 - Wednesday 21st April
2010
A cobbled corridor is cleaned up nicely at the
‘business’ end of the farmhouse, acting as an entranceway
and drain in an area presumably used as a dairy and animal stalls. |
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Day 9 - Thursday 22nd April
2010
True British workmen, Matt and Tony admire Simon’s
shovelling technique.
Mike joins the team for a few days, ably assisted
by Malcolm, and carries out a geophysical survey of the fields around
the farmstead in an attempt to locate any more corn-drying kilns
or older buildings. |
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Day 10 - Friday April 23rd 2010
Perhaps not as exciting to non-archaeologists,
but a beautiful textbook example of a posthole is excavated in Trench
2. This would have formed the corner of the 19th century barn range
seen on old maps next to the farmhouse, curiously built in a completely
different style to the farmhouse. |
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Day 11 - Saturday April
24th 2010
The last room in the farmhouse is revealed with
its cobbled floor. Perhaps the remains of a stable tagged on below
the animal stalls, or is this end of the building actually an older
farmhouse? |
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Day 12 - Sunday April 25th
2010
The workforce (Matt) is whisked away from Wern
Fawr for the day to carry out a bit of emergency recording on a
small stone and clom (mud) building near Dryslwyn.
Matt starts recording some of the walls. |
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Day 13 - Tuesday April 27th
2010
Back at Wern Fawr in the final week and the finely
laid slate-slab floor of the kitchen / parlour is recorded.
On site discussions continue as the team try to
make sense of the variety of different types of wall construction
that make up the farmhouse. |
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Day 14 - Wednesday April
28th 201
The final week sees a series of school visits to
the site. Hazel tells them all about it.
And Alice gives them a guided tour of the farmstead. |
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Day 15 - Thursday April
29th 2010
More budding Indiana Jones find out about the history
of Wern Fawr, and shelter from a rare spot of rain.
Celia finds evidence that the farmhouse was once
a lovely shade of pink on the outside. |
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Day 16 - Friday April 30th
2010
The farmhouse is carefully planned, each stone
and posthole drawn, to get a full record of what we’ve uncovered. |
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Day 17 - Saturday 1st May
2010
It being a bank holiday weekend the clouds arrive,
although Celia, Eleri and Hazel continue to smile. |
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Day 18 - Sunday 2nd May
2010
On the penultimate day a large pit is uncovered
in Trench 2, we see how many volunteers can fit inside it.
But they still manage to excavate most of the pit
by the end of the day. Unfortunately it did not contain the family
treasure, instead it appears to have been dug just to extract the
shale, possibly when they building the nearby pigsty in the early
years of the 20th century. |
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Day 19 - Monday 3rd May
2010
Visitors to the site on the final day are given
guided tours as Anthony finishes off emptying the pit in Trench
2.
The usual last minute rush to get everything done
means age is no barrier to helping out. Lwsi gets her hands dirty
in the name of archaeology.
A hard-working but still jolly team pose for photos
in front of Wern Fawr. |
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