Multidisciplinary Services Provided for £76million Kendal Flood Risk Management Scheme

Our multidisciplinary team recently provided archaeology, ecology, hydrology and air quality services for The Environment Agency and Volker Stevin as part of the £76million Kendal Flood Risk Management Scheme.

In order to comply with planning permission, our archaeological investigations commenced before the construction work occurred, and led to interesting discoveries located alongside the River Kent, particularly within the centre of Kendal. Our archaeological services on this project included:

• Archaeological Trial Trenching – Designed to test the high archaeological potential identified from the desk-based studies and help inform any requirement for archaeological work during the construction phase.
• Archaeological Building Recording – Establishing the history, form, and development of buildings, mainly of structures that would be directly affected. In this case the southern extent of the churchyard wall, areas of riverside walls and railings and Heslington millrace, to the south of the town.
• Archaeological Monitoring of Ground Investigation Pits – Archaeological monitoring at various locations across the Scheme, including outside the town centre, in the vicinity of the Roman Fort at Watercrook Lane, at Scroggs Lane, at Burneside and, the furthest north, near Kentmere Tarn. As none of these watching brief areas encountered archaeologically significant material, no further work was required in these areas.
• Archaeological Pole Camera Photography (Photogrammetry) – Using this method of recording, archaeological remains and upstanding heritage assets could be recorded quickly and accurately. The subsequent data was used to create accurate, highly detailed 3D models which, in some instances, were used to help reconstruct historic structures to their original form.

From our investigations, significant archaeological features have now been exposed and recorded as a result of the Kendal Flood Risk Management Scheme. The trial trench evaluation revealed significant remains, which have led to a better understanding of:

Once our work was concluded, our archaeology team conducted a community outreach day in Kendal. They showcased their successful discoveries and carried out presentations about the project and the findings that relate to the heritage of Kendal to over 500 local residents and schoolchildren. The mayor was also present, and she unveiled an art installation of a wool tapestry of John Speed’s map of Kendal. Overall, this was a huge success, with many praising the team and their work, including our clients.