Religious Buildings and Burial Grounds

Sensitive management of Special Projects

We have strong experience in this special sector. Joe is on the International Advisory Panel of the Foundation for Jewish Heritage (https://www.foundationforjewishheritage.com/panel.html). This involves advising on religious buildings in various countries. The advice is on archaeological matters on these sensitive sites and is designed to use archaeology as a way of enhancing the educational/outreach potential of these sites and to ensure that archaeological data is gathered appropriately as projects to safeguard buildings progress.

Joe has worked on many church projects in England. In all cases compliance with Planning Conditions and Faculty has been paramount. The communication skills needed to work with teams on these special sites have been well developed by these projects. These special sites present a wonderful opportunity to harness the creative problem-solving skills of different team members. Specifically, the knowledge of structural engineers is vital. These individuals can design safe ways of building whilst preserving remains (human burials and archaeological remains of buildings).

• St Peters Church, Petersham (shown in the image in this Case Study)

• Church of St Pauls Bedford

• Church of St Mary Northchurch, Hertfordshire

• St Nicholas Church, Stevenage

• Church of St Peter, Dunstable

Whilst working for Archaeology Collective during the mitigation stage of works at St Peters Church, Petersham. Joe was an integral part of the team on this project. He contributed ideas to all of the following areas; in each case bringing experience from other projects and ensuring that relevant Policy and Guidance was taken into consideration as decisions were made:

• Budget and Timescale, access arrangements, respect for site

• users and neighbors - Client (St Peters Church)

• Compliance with Planning Conditions - Historic England and

• local planning authority)

• Compliance with Faculty – Diocesan Archaeological Advisor

• Archaeological considerations with respect to design (impact) -

• the Architect

• Safe working - Structural Engineer

• Compliant approach – building contractor

• Keeping to scope, budget and timescale – archaeological contractor and exhumation contractor