First Watching Brief Nerves

[timber_wolf]

A watching brief is a highly specialised piece of work, required to answer specific questions. They are often done in less than ideal conditions, with contractors who are working to their own schedule and costings. The last thing a developer needs is to be held up by an uncertain archaeologist. However there are times when the archaeologist must step in and say STOP you have hit significant archaeology which will need to examined before you can continue. Hopefully this procedure has been fully explained in correspondence before the start of the watching brief and money allowed for unexpected discoveries. The key to a successful watching brief is communication with the contractors. Take some time to explain why you are there and how the development site fits in to the surrounding area/landscape ie “there was an excavation in the neighbouring field, and it is possible that some of the features seen there may continue”.

All the information you need should be in the brief and project design (WSI). The ability to recognise a wide range of features and assess their relative importance to the projects aims is a must. The methods employed on a watching brief need to be adaptive. Accurate location of the areas observed is essential, in some cases levels can be useful, in others depth below existing surface will suffice. Even a seemingly negative watching brief can answer important questions relating to the extent of surrounding areas of known archaeology.[FONT=&quot][/FONT]