Shropshire Routes to Roots

1. Introduction to the Stiperstones survey

From the autumn of 2003 to the spring of 2004 the Archaeology Service carried out a survey of The Stiperstones Hills. The survey aimed to record the wealth of archaeological remains preserved on the hills.

The Devil's Chair; one of the enigmatic tors that mark the crest of the Stiperstones ridge.

The Devil's Chair Larger image, in a new window [33kb] [Shropshire Archaeology Service]

Background

Recent field inspections had shown that the small number of known archaeological sites and monuments on The Stiperstones hills greatly under-represented the actual number and complexity of archaeological sites within this landscape.

Two stone cairns and Manstone Rock Larger image, in a new window [58kb] [Shropshire Archaeology Service]

Techniques

Global Positioning Systems (GPS) technology was used to map archaeological features discovered during the survey. GPS works by using satellites to pinpoint the exact position of a feature, and recording it directly on to a map displayed on a small hand-held computer.

The GPS unit at work. An old field boundary at The Paddocks is being recorded here. As part of the project volunteers were given the opportunity and training to use this state-of-the-art equipment.

The GPS unit at work Larger image, in a new window [67kb] [Shropshire Archaeology Service]

Continue

Find out about some the survey findings.

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