| Home | Galleries | Archaeology | Newsletters | Testimonies | Customers | In the News | Contact Us |
| February 2012 | September 2011 | February 2011 | November 2010 | August 2010 |
SUAVE SiteSeer August, 2010
Contents
Firstly, we’d like to say thank you for your warm and enthusiastic reception. We’ve had a wonderful first six months and the variety of work we’ve undertaken has been fascinating. It has been really enjoyable visiting sites across the UK, talking with you and developing a better understanding of how we can help meet the needs of different archaeological, heritage and construction projects.
Having worked alongside many of you, we’ve changed a great deal since our launch. In addition to investing in new equipment, we’ve refined many of our processes and, as the following examples illustrate, we think we’re beginning to make a really useful and important contribution to your work.
Eastlands, Manchester - Oxford Archaeology North
We recently completed a classic ‘preservation by record’ study of an area of land adjacent to Manchester City Football Club, which is currently being prepared for commercial development. Initial investigations revealed the remains of a 19th Century colliery and iron works, so Oxford Archaeology was commissioned to excavate and record the site. Using a UAV-mounted camera, we obtained a large number of high resolution photographs that showed the surviving archaeology in great detail.
The clarity that can be obtained from this low-level photographic work makes it ideally suited for photogrammetry, even on micro-sites, where the UAV camera can come very close to the ground. Photogrammetry is becoming an increasingly useful tool for modern archaeologists and UAVs are playing an important role in making the process both convenient and affordable. Please check our website for details of our forthcoming photogrammetric projects, or click here to see some of the photos we took at Eastlands.
We recently completed a classic ‘preservation by record’ study of an area of land adjacent to Manchester City Football Club, which is currently being prepared for commercial development. Initial investigations revealed the remains of a 19th Century colliery and iron works, so Oxford Archaeology was commissioned to excavate and record the site. Using a UAV-mounted camera, we obtained a large number of high resolution photographs that showed the surviving archaeology in great detail.The clarity that can be obtained from this low-level photographic work makes it ideally suited for photogrammetry, even on micro-sites, where the UAV camera can come very close to the ground. Photogrammetry is becoming an increasingly useful tool for modern archaeologists and UAVs are playing an important role in making the process both convenient and affordable. Please check our website for details of our forthcoming photogrammetric projects, or click here to see some of the photos we took at Eastlands.
Long Leys, Lincoln - Allen Archaeology
In April, we carried out an aerial survey of a site at Long Leys, which is due to become a municipal cemetery. The area was found to contain the remains of Roman dwellings and agricultural buildings, so our role was to provide detailed photographs of the area, recording the archaeologists’ work and the walls and other features that they unearthed.
Please click here to see photographs of the site.
Lyveden New Bield – National Trust
Set in the Northamptonshire countryside, Lyveden is an unfinished Elizabethan garden lodge set within a large former estate, at the heart of which was intended to be one of England’s finest ornamental gardens. However, work was abandoned in 1605 with the death of its owner and, since that time, the site has remained virtually unaltered. The site was donated to the National Trust in 1922 and in the 1990s, the Trust began a gradual restoration of the hidden garden.
One of the most recent developments has been the recreation of a spiral labyrinth on one of the nearby lawns and we were called in to provide aerial photographs that would show the full extent of the maze. As you can see here, the results were very clear and impressive. Our photographs of both the maze and the garden lodge will be used in the National Trust’s latest promotional literature.
Set in the Northamptonshire countryside, Lyveden is an unfinished Elizabethan garden lodge set within a large former estate, at the heart of which was intended to be one of England’s finest ornamental gardens. However, work was abandoned in 1605 with the death of its owner and, since that time, the site has remained virtually unaltered. The site was donated to the National Trust in 1922 and in the 1990s, the Trust began a gradual restoration of the hidden garden.One of the most recent developments has been the recreation of a spiral labyrinth on one of the nearby lawns and we were called in to provide aerial photographs that would show the full extent of the maze. As you can see here, the results were very clear and impressive. Our photographs of both the maze and the garden lodge will be used in the National Trust’s latest promotional literature.
New Technology
We’re getting better every day. Highlights of our ongoing investment programme include new battery packs, which enable us to complete full day projects without incurring delays due to recharging, and improvements to our video goggles, which are now working extremely well. They enable the user to see exactly what the camera sees in flight, so now orientation and framing couldn’t be easier!
Wigan Flood Alleviation Project - Morrison ConstructionWe’re getting better every day. Highlights of our ongoing investment programme include new battery packs, which enable us to complete full day projects without incurring delays due to recharging, and improvements to our video goggles, which are now working extremely well. They enable the user to see exactly what the camera sees in flight, so now orientation and framing couldn’t be easier!
During the early phases of a flood alleviation project in Wigan, the footings of six 18th Century houses were uncovered. The site was due to have new drains, earthworks and concrete run-offs installed as part of a wider scheme to safeguard the area against future flooding. However, the techniques used in the construction of the houses demonstrated an evolution in building technologies that had begun at least 400 years previously, so it was important to survey the site prior to the start of the civil engineering works. Having been introduced to Morrison Construction through this archaeological investigation, we were then commissioned to photograph the wider flood alleviation scheme and were subsequently asked to record building work on four additional sites in Wakefield. Photographs of the Wigan project can be found here.Further Information:
For details of all our latest archaeological, heritage and construction projects, please visit our regularly updated gallery. If you have any questions or if you’d like to discuss a project of your own, we’d be delighted to hear from you. Please call us on 07842 766 679 or email me at Greg@SUAVEAirPhotos.co.uk.