Hidden Landscapes in the Forest of Dean – An Illustrated talk by Jon Hoyle, Thursday 14 November, 7.30pm

Above: Artist’s impression of a Bronze Age ring cairn in the Forest of Dean – a type of ritual monument thought to date back to around 2,000 BCE. (Ann Leaver)

From 2004-2011 County Archaeologist Jon Hoyle led a wide-ranging survey that shed a dramatically new light on the archaeology of the Forest of Dean. Covering an area from Blaisdon to Tidenham, the study focused particularly on the problem of identifying features in areas of woodland – a difficult environment for archaeological research. The project was an early adopter of LIDAR, an aerial laser technique which stripped away the tree cover to reveal earthwork remains on the forest floor.

Nearly 1,700 previously unrecognised anomalies were found, but only a few could be investigated. Nevertheless, the exploration of two boundary systems and two enclosures have greatly informed and sometimes revolutionised our understanding of the prehistoric and Roman periods in the Forest. This talk gives an overview of the project, outlines some intriguing case studies and points to exciting future possibilities for unlocking the Forest’s secret histories.

Jon Hoyle is an archaeologist with Gloucestershire County Council Archaeology Service. Between 2002 and 2011 he directed the Forest of Dean archaeological survey which investigated aspects of the forest’s archaeology and particularly those parts hidden by the extensive tracts of woodland in the area.