More Saxon secrets set to be unearthed in new monastery dig

Archaeology experts at the University of Reading are set to embark on another round of excavations at the site of an Anglo-Saxon monastery next to Holy Trinity Church in Cookham, Berkshire. 

The remains of the monastery were first discovered in 2021 in a test excavation by staff from the University of Reading’s Archaeology Department and volunteers from local archaeological societies. A full-scale dig followed in the summer of 2022 when excavators uncovered an industrial and craft zone which would have supplied nuns with food and helped to transport imported items along the River Thames. 

Commencing Monday 7 August, this season’s dig will explore the monastery in more detail, and will investigate a cemetery area. Scientific analysis of the burials will provide important information on the social identity and health of the monastery’s inhabitants and neighbouring populations buried there.

Professor Gabor Thomas, of the University of Reading 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.”

Public outreach

A charity, Friends of Cookham abbey, has been set up to raise funds for the excavation and undertake an outreach programme to explain and promote the results of the research in the context of the rich historical, cultural and natural heritage of Cookham. The charity has a website (www.cookhamabbey.org.uk) and a Facebook group which will post regular updates about the progress of the dig. 

Phyllida Shelley, a local artist and teacher, will be running workshops to allow people to practice their creative skills inspired by the archaeology of the abbey and its daily life.

The dig runs from 9am to 5pm, Monday to Saturday, until Saturday, 2 September. There will be site tours led by a senior archaeologist on Saturday afternoons from Saturday, 12 August. Places are free, and can be booked via ticketsource.co.uk – search for Cookham abbey site tours. During the week, students will be happy to show visitors the site – no booking is needed.