ARCHAEOLOGISTS from the University of Reading have embarked on another round of excavations at the site of an Anglo-Saxon monastery near Holy Trinity Church in Cookham.
The remains of a monastery were first discovered in 2021 in a test excavation conducted by staff from Reading’s Archaeology Department and volunteers.
A full scale dig followed in the summer of 2022, which uncovered industrial zones which would have supplied nuns with food and helped to transport goods along the River Thames.
This season’s dig commenced on August 7, and will explore the site in more detail. Analysis of a cemetery area – and burials within it – will provide important information on the social identity and health of the monastery’s inhabitants and neighbouring populations.
The University of Reading’s Prof Gabor Thomas, who is leading the project, said: “This site is of national archaeological importance. We hope to learn much more about how daily life was organised within these institutions from the Cookham findings.
“No other monastic settlement from this period in southern England has such a good state of preservation.”
A charity, Friends of Cookham Abbey, has been set up to raise funds for the excavation and delivery of an outreach programme to explain and promote the results of the research. A website and Facebook page have been created to provide regular updates on the dig’s progress.
Local artist and teacher, Phyllida Shelly, will be organising workshops inspired by the archaeology of the abbey to allow people to practise their creative skills.
The dig runs from 9am-5pm, Monday to Saturday, until September 2. Site tours, led by a senior archaeologist, run on Saturday afternoons. Places are free and can be booked on ticketsource.co.uk, searching: Cookham Abbey site tours.
For more information, visit: www.cookhamabbey.org.uk
