LAARC VIP11 – The Conclusion

It’s been a busy few months. 18 new volunteers joined us with various backgrounds, life experiences and indeed archaeological knowledge. We threw them altogether, united them via collections care work and 10 weeks later the London Archaeological Archive & Research Centre has vastly improved archives, nicely packed and accessible material, lots of extra shelf space due to the effective reboxing and best of all, a new team of friends whose passion for the history of the London is stronger than ever.

Job Done.

Although of course, our job is never done. The archive is big – officially the largest archaeological archive in the world – so there will always be more collections work that needs doing, more space that needs creating, more artefacts that will be rediscovered and more enjoyment to be had sharing our work with as many people that are interested.

Our plans for 2013 are to continue the work modeled by this year’s fabulous University of the 3rd Age. The 7 strong team, having learnt the necessary skills in their weeks based at the archive, went on to share their knowledge and experience with visitors to the Museum of London. The response was brilliant, with many visitors learning themselves how to pack and preserve archaeology as well as discover new information about the artefacts they were able to hold in their hands.

We want to take this model, combining archaeology, public participation &  learning experiences and start to pop up in various locations across Greater London, to share London’s heritage.  Because London is great, its people are great and its history is great. Who knows what we’ll discover and learn from each other. Exciting times.

Whatever happens you can bet we’ll come across amazing objects, like the four finalists in the Object of VIP11 competition:

There was a record amount of votes and a huge thanks to everyone who participated. And your winner was…

.

.

.

.

.

.

THE SAXON COMB FROM PUDDING LANE!!!

Thanks to everyone who has contributed to making our 10th anniversary year fantastic. And it’s not over yet. My colleague Glynn still has a couple of posts left in his excellent History of London in 10 Archaeological Objects. Share with the world people, it’s well worth a read.

Object of VIP11 – The Grand Final

All this week, the 16 most interesting artefacts that we’ve come across during our current Volunteer Inclusion Programme have been competing for your votes. We’ve had objects spanning London’s history from Bronze Age hammerheads to Victorian plaster mouldings. The cream of the crop now get to battle it out, in what’s looking to be a very Grand Final indeed:

Monday’s winner was the Decorative Plaster from Alderman’s House, EC2. Audited by Friday volunteer James during week 6, this moulding of a horse’s head forms part of an assemblage of decorative plaster found in a post-medieval rubbish pit. Although quite the find, there is little mention of the objects in the site’s archive records. One sentence describes the plaster as “not nearly so interesting as originally thought”! We didn’t think this fair and clearly you didn’t think so too.

Tuesday’s winner was the Clay Tobacco Pipe from Brentford High Street, TW8. Repacked by Tuesday volunteer Alice during week 5, this early 20^th Century pipe depicts ‘mon petit quinquin’ or ‘little child’, the protagonist of a popular lullaby written in Picard language. The small child is pulling quite a strained face, perhaps because he is having difficulty atop his potty? An 18^th Century pipe kiln was discovered on the site along with hundreds of contemporary pipes. However, this one is unique amongst the assemblage as it is both an import (a few other Dutch pipes were also unearthed) and clearly much later in date, as is obvious from its style. A separate stem would have been inserted into the pipe bowl and as such this pipe would not have been as disposable as its earlier counterparts. How and why it ended up in the early stratigraphy of this site remains a mystery.

Wednesday’s winner was the Roman Slide Key that was audited by Tuesday volunteer Aris during week 3.  It was discovered in 1981 at Pudding Lane, EC3 and is evidence of security conscious Roman Londoners. It would have fitted into a complicated lock mechanism, probably for doors or heavy duty furniture such as chests – although few examples of actual locks survive. Complicated slide keys had different shaped teeth, although the one here seems to be of a more simple design (a ‘Slide’ Type 1). The key would also have been attachable to a belt via the hole in the handle. A wide variety of keys have been unearthed from Roman London of which slide keys are one of the most common types.

And yesterday’s winner….

Was the Antler Comb from Pudding Lane, EC3 that was packed during week 2 by Tuesday volunteer Kim. An unusually long example, it dates to the Late Saxon period (C10^th). Single-sided and composite (riveted), it originally had 92 teeth. Standard decoration has been applied to the connecting plates in the form of a saltire – a heraldic symbol: the form of a diagonal cross. Horizontal lines worn across the teeth may be due to contact with a comb-case. In the later medieval period horn is replaced by wood as a more common material for combs, although ivory is also popular throughout.

So now all that’s left to do is decide which of these should be crowned THE OBJECT OF LAARC VIP11. To choose your winner, click on the word VOTE below:

VOTE

VOTING HAS NOW CLOSED

Voting will remain open until noon Wed 12th Dec, with the winner announced on these pages on Thursday 13th December.

If you’ve enjoyed voting for your favourite objects, please share this page with others and feel free to leave a comment telling us why the object you went for got your vote.

Object of LAARC VIP11 – Round 4

We’ve had a record amount of votes over the competition so far and I hope you’ve all been enjoying selecting your favourite objects from our daily contests. Our finalists so far are the Plaster Horse Head from Monday, the Clay Tobacco Pipe from Tuesday and yesterday’s winner:

There’s some amazing objects to choose from today, but which will get enough votes to become the final finalist. It’s time for Round 4:

To start, one of the oldest objects in this competition, an Antler Mattock from Beddington Sewage Farm. Audited by Thursday volunteers Josephine & Emily during week 9, this prehistoric objects dates to the Early Bronze Age (c.3500 BC). To the specialists out there that study such things it is known as a base-axe type 1. Antler was a common (and easily acquired) material used to make tools by Prehistoric peoples. Most well-known are those used as ‘soft’ hammers in flint knapping, to produce a range of sharpened tools – the most common surviving material from prehistory. Our antler mattock was found in a ditch, (was it originally used to excavate it?) and accounts for the interpretation of this early London landscape as a managed field system.

Second today is a Roman Probe, also from Beddington, though an earlier excavation. Its either a scoop-probe (cyathiscomele) or spatula-probe (spathomele) and functioned as both a medical and cosmetic instrument. One end is missing – the potential spoon or scoop – used to extract cosmetics from containers, whilst the probe on the opposite end would have been used to apply them. Alternatively it could also act as a small cautery. Although these objects are reasonably common across Britain, it raises interesting questions about identity and ‘Romanisation’ at this outer Londinium villa site. The object was audited by Friday volunteer Zey, during week 8.

The next object was packed during week 2 by Tuesday volunteer Kim. This Antler Comb from Pudding Lane, EC3.  is an unusually long example dating to the Late Saxon period (C10^th). Single-sided and composite (riveted), it originally had 92 teeth. Standard decoration has been applied to the connecting plates in the form of a saltire – a heraldic symbol: the form of a diagonal cross. Horizontal lines worn across the teeth may be due to contact with a comb-case. In the later medieval period horn is replaced by wood as a more common material for combs, although ivory is also popular throughout.

The last object was audited by Tuesday volunteers Sunny & Sue during week 7. From High Street Brentford, this ‘Griffin’ Bottle Seal is a decorative piece of glass with the seal (or ‘prunt’) dating it as a post-medieval (1650-1850) wine bottle. Seals are fairly common – the pad of glass was imprinted with a device when hot, and reveals the owner of a tavern through initials or tavern sign. This one has been interpreted as a griffin – perhaps the Griffin pub was a ‘local’ in Brentford, or maybe the wine came from further afield. Unfortunately no encyclopaedic catalogue exits for London bottle seals, so no comparative example has been discovered.

And that’s your lot. Which would you like to see return tomorrow to compete in the Grand Final? Click on the word VOTE below to make your selection:

VOTE

Voting has now closed. Click here to vote in the Grand Final.

Object of VIP11 – Round 3

Things are heating up as our Eleventh Volunteer Inclusion Project’s object competition moves into its third day. Yesterday saw the highest number of votes we’ve ever had and most of them went to…

THE CLAY PIPE WITH THE LITTLE LAD ON THE LOO!

This now joins Monday’s plaster horse head and will compete in the Grand Final this Friday. Ready for Round 3?

Your first option was audited by Tuesday volunteer Aris during week 3. This Roman Slide Key was discovered in 1981 at Pudding Lane, EC3 and is evidence of security conscious Roman Londoners. It would have fitted into a complicated lock mechanism, probably for doors or heavy duty furniture such as chests – although few examples of actual locks survive. Complicated slide keys had different shaped teeth, although the one here seems to be of a more simple design (a ‘Slide’ Type 1). The key would also have been attachable to a belt via the hole in the handle. A wide variety of keys have been unearthed from Roman London of which slide keys are one of the most common types.

Your second choice are Medieval Strap Loops from Cross Keys Court, EC2 which were audited by Friday volunteer Emma during week 4. They are a series of strap loops still joined from the mould, dating to c.1270-1350. The rivets of the metal frames would probably have been cut shorter once separated. Strap loops were used to hold down loose parts of straps – a simple dress accessory, the ‘rivet from’ going back to the Viking period. The strap loops are made of gunmetal (an alloy of copper, tin and zinc) – ‘inferior’ metals had been banned by the London Guilder’s Charter in 1321 and relaxed in the later 14^th Century.

Object number 3 was also audited during week 4, by Wedneday’s U3A volunteer Trish. It’s a Ceramic Buckle/Strap Mould from the same site as the one above, Cross Keys Court (though not the mould that made the strap loop above). It may only have been used once and hundreds of these objects could be produced at any one time, the mould being made of layers. Such moulds are rare, in comparison to their products, and provide an insight into medieval industry. Waterfront sites produce a proliferation of leather and metal finds that can be dated from sealed assemblages; however this is a rare inland sight that has produced some meaningful artefacts.

The last option today is from Roman Road, E3 and was audited by Thursday volunteer Ben during week 8. No guesses as to the type of archaeology unearthed at Roman Rd, however, this object is 20^th Century and has been identified as a Cosmetic Burner, by both our current and former Archive Managers (who both have a passion for glass albeit at different ends of the archaeological spectrum). The vessel, known as ‘The Lamp’ would have been used to melt wax which would then have been used as a cosmetic – probably to fix hair. As it was audited during N/M-ovember, we’re suggesting that perhaps this burner would have assisted with gentlemanly moustache waxing…

So which of these do you think should join the others in the Grand Final. To choose your favourite click the word VOTE below:

VOTE

Voting has now closed. Voting for Round 4 is currently open

Voting will close at noon tomorrow when the winner will be announced and Round 4 will commence. Thanks for joining in!

Object of LAARC VIP11 – Round 2

Yesterday, we kicked off our competition to decide which object is the best from the current Volunteer Inclusion Programme. Loads of you voted in Round 1 and it certainly wasn’t a one horse race… but that being said your first winner is…

THE PLASTER HORSE FROM ALDERMAN’S HOUSE

And so we have our first finalist for Friday’s Grand Final. Today’s contenders then:

First we have another bit of plaster, though this time Roman and excavated at Cornhill, EC3 in 1981. Repacked in week 6 by Tuesday volunteer Harry, this chunk comprises of a border and panel section. Wall plaster can be decorated in a large variety of colours and a paint ‘splash’ effect can be seen on the bottom half that attempts to imitate more expensive marble veneer. The plaster was found beneath a later metalled Roman road, perhaps used as ballast from a nearby demolished building – a very busy area of Londinium as it was located adjacent to the basilica.

Next we’ve a Stone Hammerhead from Beddington excavations in 1981. Audited by Friday volunteer Susannah during week 9, this perforated tool is unusual as although a Bronze Age object, it was actually found in a Roman context included in the villa’s ‘yard’ surface. Prehistoric objects were sometimes curated by the later Romans perhaps for ‘ritual’ purposes, such as the placing of flint axes – believed to be Jupiter’s thunderbolts – in villa rafters as anti-lightening devices (an example of which was found at this site). Unfortunately our hammerhead doesn’t appear have any such reuse attached to it, but is a prime example of how objects without their ‘archaeological context’ can be misleading.

Third up is a Wooden ‘Paddle’ that was audited by Thursday volunteer Imran during week 5. It comes from Baynard’s Castle, EC4 and is somewhat of a mystery post-medieval object, having been loosely identified as a ‘paddle’. It is also a rare survival, being made of wood. The site’s archive records do not assist and on the original context sheet this object is recorded as an ‘oar’. However, its size suggests it was probably not used for propelling a waterborne vessel. Perhaps a different type of paddle was meant? Suggestions on a postcard to LAARC please…

Lastly, is a Clay Tobacco Pipe from Brentford High Street, TW8. Repacked by Tuesday volunteer Alice during week 5, this early 20^th Century pipe depicts ‘mon petit quinquin’ or ‘little child’, the protagonist of a popular French lullaby. The small child is pulling quite a strained face, perhaps because he is having difficulty atop his potty? An 18^th Century pipe kiln was discovered on the site along with hundreds of contemporary pipes. However, this one is unique amongst the assemblage as it is both an import (a few other Dutch pipes were also unearthed) and clearly much later in date, as is obvious from its style. A separate stem would have been inserted into the pipe bowl and as such this pipe would not have been as disposable as its earlier counterparts. How and why it ended up in the early stratigraphy of this site is a mystery.

So which do you think is the best of these four and deserves a place in Friday’s Grand Final? Click on the word VOTE below to have your say:

VOTING HAS NOW CLOSED.

Thanks for joining in and feel free to leave a comment below as to why you chose the object you went for.

Voting will end at noon tomorrow when voting will open for Round 3.

Object of LAARC VIP11 – Round 1

One of the favourite aspects of our Volunteer Inclusion Programme is that we come across loads of beautiful artefacts spanning London’s history. And during our current project we’ve encountered some beauties. What we then like to do is get them battling it out, with you, The Great Blog Reading Public, helping to decide which is the very best. No real reason to do this apart from fun. So let’s get started:

First up is this Decorative Plaster from Alderman’s House, EC2. Audited by Friday volunteer James during week 6, this moulding of a horse’s head forms part of an assemblage of decorative plaster found in a post-medieval rubbish pit. Although quite the find, there is little mention of the objects in the site’s archive records. One sentence describes the plaster as “not nearly so interesting as originally thought”! We don’t know what type of building this originally adorned in the area, but we think it’s incredibly interesting, especially as an archaeological survival!

The next contender is a Roman Coin from Pudding Lane EC3. Made from copper this is known as an as, one of the lowest denomination in the Roman Empire. This one has actually been cast (versus struck) and as such is a contemporary copy. Coin forgery was punishable by death in the Roman period, but copies of Claudian asses (which this is) may have been ‘semi-official’ as there was a lack of small change during the latter part of his reign.  Copying of these coins has been associated with the Roman army with large groups having been excavated from Roman Southwark. This object was audited by Thursday volunteer Elaine during week 3.

The third choice is again from Pudding Lane and is a Roman Brick that was audited by Thursday volunteer Lance during week 2. This type of brick is known as a pila – stacked to form ‘pillars’ used to create hypocaust systems – the equivalent of modern ‘under-floor heating’. The tile is stamped P(rocuratores) P(provinciae) Br(itanniae) LON(dini) which translates as: ‘Procurators of the Province of  Britain at London’. Procurators acted as imperial administrators for the emperor and would be responsible for public finances & property. Although hundreds of these have been found in London, what’s unusual for this site is that the bricks date to the 2^nd Century but have been reused in a late 4^th Century bath building. A case of late Roman recycling where they may have been taken from the old Roman Governor’s Palace nearby.

The final option is another roman object, though this Annular Bead was discovered at Beddington Sewage Farm in 1985. It is dark blue (Roman glass’ natural colour is blue-green) with yellow linear spiral decoration. Although Roman, it has been suggested that it shows pre-Roman influence, that is, indigenous British influence. As such this little bead is probably early in date and perhaps an example of Roman acculturation by indigenous Iron Age Britons. It was packed & recorded by Friday volunteers Viv & Kiyoko during week 7

So which one do you think is the best from today’s crop? To cast your vote click here:

VOTE

Voting for Round 1 has now ended.

Voting closes at noon tomorrow when Round 1’s winner will be announced and you can get to decide on Round 2’s objects.

LAARC VIP11 – Week 9

Some archaeological sites have names that have me thanking my lucky stars I’m not a digger anymore. The one we’ve been working on at the archive this week is pretty off-putting – Beddington Sewage Farm, down in the deep south of London in Sutton. Clearly I’m in the wrong though because the archaeologists started there in 1981, went back in 1982 and then continued to do so from 1984-87. Why? Because it’s only one of the best sites ever investigated in London!

The evidence from the dig revealed that people have been living there since the 3rd Century BCE and whilst going through its archive, we’ve been privileged to handle and pack Bronze Age items such as this mattock made of antler:

This stone hammer head:

And this copper awl using for piercing holes:

The Romans then built a large villa complex there and we start to come across amazing objects from everyday 2nd Century life. Incredible copper brooches with enamel decoration:

Handles with moustached men (a final nod to Movember):

And what about this ceramic lamp:

Amazingly, unlike many Roman sites, the area seems to have had no further activity after the 5th Century until the modern era. For a full report of what was found, check out MOLA’s publication.

It always saddens me when we get close to the end of each Volunteer Inclusion Project at LAARC. Our volunteers do so much to help create more accessible archives and extra storage space. Our University of the 3rd Age team has also been brilliant as they continue to share their new found knowledge with museum visitors:

Their final afternoon will be the coming Wednesday from 1-4pm so if you get the chance pop along to the Museum of London foyer to meet them.

And if you can’t make it to the museum, don’t worry because next week you can interact with our project from the comfort of your own home. Each week we’ve been rediscovering some of the treasures that have been dug up in the early 1980s, many of which we’ve been posting on these blogs. But next week the top 16 will be fighting it out to try and win your vote to decide which has been the best from the project. Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, it’s on its way:

The OBJECT OF VIP11 Competition!

Every day next week they’ll be a new competition so be sure to visit these pages and join in. There’s some amazing artefacts to look forward to…

LAARC VIP11 – Week 8

I can deal with most of the history of London; I get that it wasn’t so long ago that Victorians lived here without electricity; I understand how and why a great fire could break out and cause such devastation in 1666; I fully believe that the Norman conquest took place 600 years earlier and I would happily assure you that roman Londoners were the first to inhabit an actual city called Londinium almost 2000 years ago.

But when it comes to prehistory, my brain gets a little bit frazzled. Suddenly we have these massive margins as we deal with tools that date to around 8 – 10 THOUSAND years ago (and some thousands of years older than this!). I suddenly find myself thinking that that’s a pretty long time span and how, over all those years of habitation, the main bit of evidence we have for ‘human’ activity is… flint.

But having attended this week’s VIP flint workshop from lithic specialist Jon Cotton I soon realised that there are many shades to these stone tools. For instance some were made out of stone that was incredible difficult to get hold of – flint that comes from amazingly inaccessible places which our neolithic man must have had quite the challenge to obtain.

Some tools would have taken around 10,000 hours to have been formed, worked and then polished, only to be deposited in a riverbed, never to have been used. Others would have been shaped to top spears used to defend territories. Others would have simply been a useful utensil to cut open that night’s dinner of deer.

Perhaps my favourite aspect of flint knapping and prehistory is the evidence for community activity that the archaeology hints at. From several sites dug up in the past 30 years, archaeologists have found scatters of flint waste in v shaped piles, all in close proximity to each other and all forming circular shapes that surround a central hearth. It isn’t hard to imagine individuals gathering round the fire, chatting away, sharing stories, making their tools.

Gathering around, sharing stories was pretty much our philosophy this week when our fabulous U3A team took to the museum’s foyer. It was simple really. The volunteers were working on the collections in front of visitors. The visitors were free to go up and chat to the U3A about their work. They shared stories of their archive experience and showed the visitors what they were doing and the visitors left happy and with an enhanced museum experience. Isn’t that what it’s all about?

Part of our volunteers’ public engagement was to show our visitors how to carry out simple collections care work, encouraging them to have a go at packing a find for themselves. In a bizarrely brilliant scenario, visitors were helping our volunteers preserve London’s archaeology and then thanking the volunteers for letting them do so. You don’t get that in many other museums! And if you want to be that visitor, come along to the foyer next Wed 28th  Nov from 1-4pm and have a go yourself.

Our daily teams continued to make excellent progress with objects from Brentford & Beddington but to end this blog, it’s one of the objects that was audited this week as they tackled material from Roman Rd, E3: a spectacularly apt artefact if ever there was one for this month:

According to the glass specialists, this is a late 19th glass oil burner. The burner would have featured as part of a cosmetic set along with melting wax; melting wax that potentially would have been used to style gentleman’s moustaches! Perhaps I should get one for my #Movember effort…

Follow our progress on Twitter #LAARCVIP #VIP11

LAARC VIP11 – Week 7

It’s been a busy old week at the museum’s Archaeological Archive. The main focus of our activity has been clay tobacco pipes, specifically, those that were discovered in Brentford in 1977. Previous blogs will tell you more about the amazing pipe kiln that was found there and the excellent work our ‘Unearthing Hounslow’ team carried out this summer, but for this blog, it’s all going to be about the makers themselves.

First and foremost, whilst smoking is bad, tobacco pipes are pretty cool. And sometimes, they’re just pretty. You can get different shapes and sizes, ones with flat bases, ones with spurs, some that are plain and some that are fantastically decorated like our pooping pal on his potty:

But for the archaeologist, it’s all about the small maker’s stamp that can be found on the heel or base that reveals the initials of the pipe maker. The way to ‘read’ a pipe is by holding it so the stem is towards your mouth. The letter on the lefthand side is the initial of the maker’s first name, the letter on the right, the first letter of their surname.

The kiln in Brentford belonged to William Heath so it’s not surprising that a fair number of these pipes have the initials ‘W,H’ marked. However, this being said there’s been lots of other makers too and even the ‘W,H’ pipes have variations such as crowns or stars atop of the letters. Our specialists are even able to identify which pipes have been produced using the same pipe mould.

So the task set aside for our VIP11 teams this week was to identify these stamps and group any similar ones together. Over 70 different stamps were identified suggesting that Mr Heath was hiring out his services to several other pipe makers and our teams took to the challenge of using their magnifying glasses to carefully scrutinise and separate the different types.

Meanwhile, the other interesting finds from the excavation were being assigned individual numbers and packed to the archive standards. These included buttons, buckles, coins, stone hones and some really cool glass bottle seals, including the one with the griffin’s head (as first discovered during Week 4) and one with the actual word ‘Brentford’ on (which is always nice)

For this task, our volunteers got to use iPads to create a digital record with a photo of the object and the object’s information label. These will help create a database of finds from the site, which we aim to get online in the near future.

The University of the 3rd Age were also using iPads as a useful resource for public engagement. This came into the final part of their training ahead of next Wednesday 21st November when they’ll be chatting to visitors to the Museum in the main foyer from 13.00 – 16.00

So iPads & pipes. What about plaster? Well, last week we got to handle, audit and pack two very different types of plaster. First, there was some amazing fragments of decorated roman wall plaster from Cornhill including splashes of colour attempting to replicate marble and lines with different shading attempting to create perspective. Later in the week we came across some Victorian moulded plaster from Liverpool Street which included this incredible plaster horse’s head.

This inspired Glynn & I to lead a short workshop about roman rooms, from underfloor hypocaust tiles to the best wall plaster ever found in London, to mosaics and to ceilings. Any excuse for us to go into our ceramic & glass store!

You can keep track of our progress via Twitter #LAARCVIP #VIP11

LAARC VIP11- Week 6

Ingredients

• At least 100 boxes of archaeology that have matured for at least 30 years. (Boxes should contain a nice mixture of materials such as ceramics, glass & metals. Whether they come from the same historical period is optional but added variety does improve the outcome)
• 25 volunteers (a variety of ages, gender & archaeological backgrounds adds flavour to the outcome)
• A mixture of stationary (best to stock up on numerous staples)
• A selection of high quality plastic finds bags (small, medium & large)

Recipe

1) Take the 25 volunteers and separate into 4 teams. When mixing the volunteers, aim to put together a diverse group of around 6 volunteers per team.

2) Invite them to your workplace for 10 weeks (1 day a week) and let the teams bond.

3) Meanwhile, take a trolley full of boxes of archaeology and lay out on a table. Set out sufficient stationary and packaging equipment alongside the bags.

4) Once the volunteers have begun to gel, replenish with tea, coffee & biscuits before transferring them from the tea room to the work area where you had previously laid out the boxes of archaeology.

5) Invite the teams to handle the archaeology and identify examples of bad collections care which need improving.

6) Using previously laid out stationary, combine with volunteers and archaeological objects until any artefacts are placed inside new bags and stored in a much more accessible fashion.

7) Replenish volunteers with tea, coffee and biscuits.

8) Repeat steps 5 – 7, supporting and encouraging the teams to continue in this manner for 5 more weeks, guiding as neccessary and providing conversation.

9) Throw in a specialist led workshop every two weeks to add variety and increase the knowledge of your team members.

10) At this stage you should find your volunteers are mixing together well and the archaeology has changed from being in a muddled unclear state to beautiful archival standards.

11) Assess your teams with mid project questionnaires before blogging responses to the question, “What aspects of the project do you find most beneficial”

“Teamwork – working with a group of other people”

“Learning how the archive is managed is very interesting”

“My knowledge of archaeology as well as my understanding of people has been improved”

“The bi-weekly presentations are great for topping up what we’re learning on the job”

“The sense of achievement when completing tasks”

12) Smile and continue to simmer for another 5 weeks, transferring some members of your Volunteer Inclusion Project to the Museum of London foyer for the final 3 weeks.

Find out if the second half of our project goes as well as as the first by following our progress on Twitter #LAARCVIP #VIP11