Most prehistoric wetland archaeology carried out in Britain and Europe has taken place in rural areas. However, some large, built up city areas, like Greater London and its hinterland, also have preserved wetland archaeology to explore, although access to it is often difficult. Excavations in, and on the edge, of London over the last 30 years have revealed a whole range of later prehistoric timber and roundwood structures of Neolithic to Iron Age date, although they are mostly Bronze Age. This writer has been involved in most of these projects, carried out by several archaeological field teams including; MOLA, Pre-Construct Archaeology, Wessex Archaeology, Oxford Archaeology and others. The range of structures and portable woodwork found includes several forms of trackway, platforms, bridges, causeways, stock fences, small structures possibly associated with hunting and some portable objects.
This paper attempts to provide an overview of the prehistoric wooden structures, set within the changing prehistoric Greater London landscape and woodland types, both much influenced by sea level changes. Datable changes in the toolkits and woody raw materials used will also be outlined. The use of experimental archaeology to further understand London’s earliest woodwork, enrich museum displays and for out-reach purposes will also be discussed. Although a number of prehistoric wetland archaeology projects have been published in some detail, the prehistoric wetland archaeology of London is still comparatively little known in England compared with that of the south-west and eastern fenlands. It is hoped that this summary will bring some of the results and future potential of the region to a wider specialist audience.

Location

Norcroft Centre, University of Bradford