The Cholderton Archaeological Project (CAP) is a study of prehistoric culture through archaeological fieldwork and experimental archaeology.

The project is based in the heart of Wessex, in southern England, internationally renowned for a rich diversity of surviving prehistoric remains from the Neolithic to the Iron Age. Situated just a few kilometres from the World Heritage Site of Stonehenge, Cholderton lies in a landscape which is impressed with the legacy of people who lived thousands of years ago.

The study is focussed on the Cholderton Rare Breeds Farm just outside the village of Cholderton on the Wiltshire/Hampshire border. The farm is an award winning visitor centre specialising in breeding and showing rare breeds of animals including pigs, sheep, goats, ponies, rabbits and poultry.

Covering an area of 18ha, the farm is surrounded by a wealth of evidence for prehistoric occupation. This includes Bronze Age round barrows, an Iron Age hillfort (Beacon Hill), prehistoric field systems and boundary ditches.

Following a programme of research in 2001, fieldwork began in early 2002 to survey the farm for archaeological evidence using a variety of techniques such as geophysical survey, topographic survey, shovel pit testing, bore hole survey and controlled metal detecting. We will be publishing the results of this fieldwork on these pages as soon as they become available.

Survey work will be an ongoing aspect of the project over the next 3 years and is scheduled between January and June, mostly at weekends. This will include project staff and local volunteers.

Each year, the survey programme willl culminate in a season of excavation and experimental archaeology lasting 4 weeks in August. For our first season in 2002, we excavated the remains of an Iron Age settlement site and also reconstructed an Iron Age roundhouse, typical of excavated examples in the region. The roundhouse will be retained to provide an additional educational resource for the farm.

Participation in the fieldwork during August was open to anyone interested in archaeology, with or without experience. Places were offered as part of a paid residential course that included camping facilities on site, all meals (at the farm restaurant) and teaching sessions. The results of the excavation and reconstruction work will appear on these pages shortly.

For all e-mail enquiries on this research project, please contact us at cap@contextone.co.uk