Dunwich 2012
The Dunwich 2012 project was funded by English Heritage. The mains objectives were to:
O1 To collate, digitize and interpret existing secondary data to refine the definition of the form and extent of the medieval Dunwich site.
O2 To better define the northern and eastward extent of the former town and the location and form of any existing archaeological structures visible above the seafloor.
O3 To assess the heritage and archaeological value of existing structures identified on the sea floor through novel deployment of high resolution MBES and DIDSON DH technology at the St Nicholas Church and St Katherines Chapel sites.
O4 To advance EH technical understanding of rapid non-wreck site evaluation through the design and application of an integrated survey methodology.
O5 To use the historical data (O1) to formulate estimates of coastal recession with which to estimate the risk to existing terrestrial heritage at the Dunwich site.
O6 To interpret and report the new information collected within the project as a basis for site designation and to make the results of the project available to specialist and general audiences, both in England and globally.
All objectives were achieved, and resulted in the creation of the most detailed plan of the existing land and marine archaeology, and the accurate map of the town. The team used a range of new data including coastal views in 17th century Pilot charts, descriptions of the town, paintings, photographs, old maps and LiDAR. In addition the project undertook new magnetometer, Sidescan and Multibeam surveys of the northern area of the site, together with DIDSON acoustic imaging
Suffolk coast from Southwold to Orfordness. Columne Coastal Pilot 1637. Admiralty Library.
Dunwich, Suffolk. John Mogford (1877) private collection.
Dunwich, Suffolk (1914). Fisk Collection, Dunwich Museum
