CPAT Trustees' Annual Report 2002-03

 

 

Introduction

The Trustees present their annual report and accounts for the year ended 31 March 2003 in the format recommended by the Charity Commission (SORP 2000).

 

The Clwyd-Powys Archaeological Trust is a company limited by guarantee and not having a share capital (Registered No 1212455) and is also a Registered Charity (Registered No 508301). The governing document is the Memorandum and Articles of Association, as revised in September 2001.

 

Principal activity

The principal activity of the Trust is the education of the public in archaeology which is fulfilled by providing archaeological advice and information to the community.

 

Trustees and Trustees’ interests

The Trustees of the Clwyd-Powys Archaeological Trust also act as directors of the limited company. As the company has no share capital, the question of shares held by the directors does not apply. The Trust was saddened by the death in August 2002 of Dr Dennis Petch who had made a tremendous contribution to the work of the Trust both as Committee Member and as Trustee from the days of its inception. The following Trustees were elected at the Annual General Meeting held on 20 September 2002 and held office throughout the 2002/03 financial year:

            

             Mrs F M Lynch Llewellyn  (Chairman)

             Dr J L Davies  (Vice Chairman)

             Mr H H Jones

             Mr D R Morgan

             Mr C R Musson

             Mr D W L Rowlands

 

Statement of Directors’ responsibilities

Company law requires the directors to prepare financial statements for each financial year which give a true and fair view of the state of affairs of the company and of the profit or loss of the company for that period. In preparing those financial statements the directors are required to: select suitable accounting policies and then apply them consistently; make judgements and estimates that are reasonable and prudent; prepare financial statements on the going concern basis unless it is inappropriate to presume that the company will continue in business.

 

The directors are responsible for keeping proper accounting records which disclose with reasonable accuracy at any time the financial position of the company and to enable them to ensure that the financial statements comply with the Companies Act 1985. They are also responsible for safeguarding the assets of the company and hence for taking reasonable steps for the prevention and detection of fraud and other irregularities.

 

SUMMARY OF THE TRUST’S AIMS

The Trust is one of the four Archaeological Trusts established in Wales in the 1970s. The Trust works closely with other national, regional and local bodies, to help record, interpret and protect all aspects of the historic environment. Its primary sphere of activity is in the Clwyd-Powys area of mid and north-east Wales covered by the present-day counties of Powys, Denbighshire, Flintshire, Wrexham and the eastern part of Conwy though it also carries out project work in other adjacent counties in England and Wales from time to time.

 

SUMMARY OF THE TRUST’S ACTIVITIES DURING THE YEAR

 

Archaeological research and investigation

The Trust continued to undertake a wide variety of projects in the field, usually in response to proposed developments or to enhance the archaeological record. As in previous years these included rescue excavations, building recording, desktop assessments, field evaluations, field surveys and watching briefs. Examples of the types of project which were undertaken during the course of the year are given below. The names of the former counties of Brecknock, Radnor and Montgomery in Powys are used for convenience in the following text.

 

The following projects were funded by Cadw: Welsh Historic Monuments during the course of the year, some of which continue work initiated in previous financial years. Prehistoric Funerary and Ritual Sites Visits were made to many hundreds of sites in south Radnorshire and the Dyfi valley in western Montgomeryshire as part a pan-Wales initiative being promoted by Cadw. The project is designed to look at a wide range of field monuments including Bronze Age round barrows and cairns, standing stones and stone circles, with a view to recording their present condition and making recommendations for protection and management. Historic Landscapes    Historic landscape characterization was undertaken in the area of Maelor Saesneg, Wrexham, defined in Part Two of the Historic Landscapes Register, as part of a continuing pan-Wales initiative. A total of seventeen historic landscape character areas were defined on the basis of past and present land-use. Particularly notable elements of the historic landscape include extensive areas of medieval ridge and furrow cultivation, a cluster of medieval moated sites, and an abundance of former marl pits, many surviving as ponds, which probably date from the post-medieval period. Short Dykes in the Welsh Borderland   The project is designed to re-examine a series of linear earthworks which together with their larger cousins — Offa’s Dyke and Wat’s Dyke — form a distinctive element of the archaeology of the Welsh borderlands. Twenty-one dykes were visited, totalling over 13 kilometres in length, in order to record their present form and condition. It is anticipated that fieldwork will be completed during the course of the next financial year. Early Medieval Ecclesiastical Sites  Following the desk-based study undertaken in the previous year, the primary aim during 2002/03 was the initiation of a programme of fieldwork which it is again anticipated will continue into the next financial year. Fieldwork focused on a group of abandoned church and chapel sites, some formerly set within rounded enclosures. Detailed plans were made of a number of sites including Glasbury Old Church, Brecknock, which was abandoned when the Wye and Llynfi changed their course in the seventeenth century. Roman Roads  Work undertaken on this project during the course of the year included the completion of the computerized mapping of roads throughout the Clwyd-Powys area and the beginnings of fieldwork. One of the objectives of the project is to distinguish proven from hypothetical stretches of road and to formulate management recommendations. Research Framework for Wales An archaeological resource audit of known sites was undertaken as part of a pan-Wales initiative being carried out with the support of various archaeological agencies in Wales. The research audit is available on the Trust’s website (at www.cpat.org.uk/projects/longer/research/index.htm).

 

Projects funded by the Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Wales included the following: Elan Valley Upland Survey as part of the uplands initiative. Over 280 archaeological sites were recorded in the survey area of just under 14 square kilometres which included parts of the unenclosed upland forming parts of the Cwmdeuddwr Common and the Elan Estate.

 

Many other fieldwork and desk-based projects of varying degrees of scale and complexity were carried out during the course of the year with funding from other bodies, including the following:  Clive Engine House, Dyserth, Archaeological survey on behalf of Denbighshire County Council in advance of proposed renovation work of this part of the Talargoch Lead Mine.  Plas Newydd, Llangollen  Archaeological field assessment  of part of the eighteenth and nineteenth-century gardens of the ‘Ladies of Llangollen’, on behalf of Denbighshire County Council.  Brecon Beacons Survey  Upland survey of part of the northern Beacons, on behalf of the National Trust.  Manthrig Lane Caersws Small-scale excavations on part of the Roman civil settlement attached to the Roman fort, in advance of the construction of a new radio mast. Mill Lane, Welshpool  Archaeological evaluation of an area thought to have formed part of the early medieval settlement of Welshpool, funded by private developer and producing some medieval pottery but no evidence of structures. Vyrnwy Survey Continued archaeological fieldwork within part of the Vyrnwy Estate, with funding by Severn Trent Water. Naylors Field Arddleen   An initial programme of excavation at the site of a Romano-British ditched enclosure in advance of housing development, with funding from private developer. Ty-draw, Llanarmon Mynydd Mawr  Excavation of late medieval cruck-built hall-house in advance of renovation work, with funding from private developer. Y Graig, Abergavenny  Mapping and survey of dispersed settlement site within forestry plantation, on behalf of Forest Enterprise. Ysgol y Llys, Prestatyn   Archaeological evaluation of an area thought to lie within a Roman fort, in advance of the construction of a new school hall, on behalf of Denbighshire County Council.   Brynhyfryd School, Ruthin  Archaeological evaluation again of an area of a supposed Roman fort in advance of proposed building work, funded by Denbighshire County Council. Welshpool Cock Yard  Archaeological evaluation of an area within the medieval settlement and later industrial works at Welshpool.  LANDMAP for Brecknock   Start of work on the history and archaeology aspects of  this pan-Wales initiative, with funding from the Countryside Council for Wales. The Trust was also represented on the local information user group for the Wrexham LANDMAP study.

 

Education and publication

Every opportunity is taken to carry out educational work, even though only a relatively small proportion of the grant aid which the Trust currently receives is given specifically for this purpose. All the Trust’s activities, however, contribute directly or indirectly towards a greater understanding of the historic environment of the Clwyd-Powys area. Development work continued on the Trust’s website www.cpat.org.uk which is proving popular with members of the general public, archaeological practitioners and students.  The website includes information about the Trust and its activities and is continuing to be important in publicising the Trust’s work and the services it provides to the community.

 

Over 60 project and topic reports were produced during the course of the year for limited circulation. Short reports on individual projects undertaken by the Trust are generally summarised in Archaeology in Wales, published annually by the Council for British Archaeology: Wales, including longer reports on work at Valle Crucis, Denbighshire and St Cyngar’s Church, Hope, Flintshire,  as well as in a number of national period journals. Other publications by Trust staff during the course of the year included an extensive report on Prehistoric funerary and ritual sites in the upper Severn valley, Montgomeryshire, published in The Montgomeryshire Collections. Work also continued on the production of other reports which it is anticipated will be published during the course of the next financial year.

 

A project was undertaken on behalf of Powys County Council looking at the potential of developing a number of Offa’s Dyke Walks in Powys.

 

Courses on local archaeology were organised for Welshpool Evening Institute on behalf of Powys County Council, and for the Guilsfield History Group, and talks on archaeology were given to several local schools. Members of staff contributed to the BBC Radio’s Counties of Wales programmes and BBC Television’s Inside Out, and Timeflyers programmes. The latter included the digging of a replica section of Offa’s Dyke by a group of volunteers and has helped to generate significant new public interest in the dyke. A total of nine public talks and lectures about the conservation and archaeology of the Offa’s Dyke were presented to various groups in the Marches and beyond.

 

The Trust is actively involved in the work of a number of local and national historical and archaeological societies and attended meetings of the following bodies during the course of the year: Association of Diocesan Archaeologists, Brecknock Society, British Aviation Archaeology Council, Cambrian Archaeological Association, Council for British Archaeology,  Llanfihangel yng Ngwynfa Social History Group, Medieval Settlement Research Group, Merioneth History and Record Society, Offa’s Dyke Association, Post-Medieval Archaeology Society, Powysland Club, Radnorshire Historical Society, Society for Landscape Studies, Society for Church Archaeology, Wrexham Archaeology Club. Members of staff have also acted as editors for Montgomeryshire Collections, the local historical and archaeological journal published annually by the Powysland Club, and for Archaeologia Cambrensis, published by the Cambrian Archeological Association.

 

 

Archaeological advice and information

With the help of funding from the Royal Commission the Trust continues to maintain a record of sites, finds, historic buildings and areas of archaeological importance known as the Regional Sites and Monuments Record (SMR), covering Powys, eastern Conwy, Denbighshire, Flintshire, and Wrexham. The main purposes of the record are to provide advice about the archaeological implications of planning policies and developments, advice about the management of archaeological sites and landscapes, and to serve as a resource for initiatives concerning the preservation, interpretation and presentation of the archaeology and historic landscapes of Wales. The total number of entries in the main computerised SMR at the end of the financial year stood at 51,243 of which about 5,158 new records were added during the course of the year, new information being gathered from recent fieldwork and from published and unpublished sources.

 

The SMR has now been formally adopted for planning purposes by all the planning authorities in the Clwyd-Powys area — Brecon Beacons National Park, Conwy County Borough Council, Denbighshire County Council, Flintshire County Council, Powys County Council, and Wrexham County Borough Council. The  SMR continues to be principally used on a day-to-day basis for development control and in responding to Tir Gofal enquiries. With the help of financial assistance from Cadw: Welsh Historic Monuments the Trust responded to 568 external enquiries during the course of the year for other purposes, including private research, representing an increase of over 40% upon the previous financial year. Work continued during the year on a thesaurus of archaeological terms in conjunction with the Royal Commission and the SMRs maintained by the three other Welsh Archaeological Trusts.

 

With the help of funding from Cadw: Welsh Historic Monuments the Trust continued to provide Development Control advice about all aspects of the historic environment throughout the Clwyd-Powys area to national and local planning authorities, public and private sector developers, and other local and national organisations. The Trust received notification of 6,725 planning applications together with over 560 non-planning proposals such as highway scheme proposals and minerals applications from local authorities during the course of the year, all of which were checked to see whether they had significant archaeological implications. Notable casework during the course of the year involved Salop Road Welshpool, (excavation of parts of industrial works associated with former canal, in advance of housing development), The Porth, New Radnor  (excavation of part of the medieval town in advance of housing development), and Rhiw Gwreiddyn Slate Quarry, Machynlleth (building survey of former slate-processing works in advance of conversion).

 

The Offa’s Dyke Initiative  This initiative, managed by the Trust and jointly funded by Cadw and English Heritage, was first established several years ago in response to growing concerns about the deteriorating condition of this nationally important linear earthwork. Work undertaken during the course of 2002/03 included practical conservation,  development control and planning advice, and strategic management advice. Practical management projects included major tree-removal and refencing of protective path surfaces on various lengths of the Dyke. Altogether, work was in progress or development at seventeen sites involving 4.1 kilometres of dyke in both England and Wales. Work to develop the care of Wat’s Dyke is also a growing element of the project, as a consequence of which seminars have been held with Wrexham and Flintshire County Councils. The official launch of the Offa’s Dyke Conservation Statement produced by the Trust’s Offa’s Dyke Officer took place at the Offa’s Dyke Centre in Knighton in April 2002, attracting an audience representing national and national agencies in England and Wales as well as landowners and local people with interests in the monument.

 

Archaeological advice and information continued to be provided to the Countryside Council for Wales (CCW) and landowners in response to applications to Tir Gofal, the all-Wales agri-environment scheme. The primary purpose of this work is to provide detailed management advice about features of archaeological or historical significance on farms which are entering the scheme. The Trust provided archaeological information in response to 225 farm applications to Tir Gofal during the course of the year as well as producing more detailed surveys and reports on 18 selected farms accepted into the scheme following field visits, one of which (admittedly of exceptional size) involved about 1,200 hectares of land. The Trust also contributed to training sessions organised for CCW staff.

 

Heritage Management  work undertaken by the Trust with funding from Cadw included the provision of strategic planning advice, particularly in relation to Unitary Development Plans. Archaeological advice was given in response to numerous development proposals outside the planning system including the following: Scheduled Ancient Monument Consent applications; Woodland Grant Scheme applications; National Native Woodland Scheme proposals; Private Long-Term Forest Design Plans; Environment Agency capital and management schemes; schemes proposed by various utility companies including Welsh Water, Severn Trent Water and the Wrexham Water Company, MANWEB, SWALEC, MEB, British Gas/Transco; and on faculty applications submitted to Welsh Diocesan Advisory Committees in the Trust’s area. Regular liaison meetings were also held with staff of the Forestry Authority, the Environment Agency and the Countryside Council for Wales.  The Trust also continued to be involved with the Portable Antiquities Scheme supported in Wales by the Council for Museums in Wales and the National Museums and Galleries of Wales.

 

MANAGEMENT AND ORGANISATION

The Trust is managed by a board of Trustees elected from the Trust Members at the Annual General Meeting. The Trustees met on four occasions during the course of the financial year, in April, July, and September 2002 and in January 2003. The Advisory Committee, comprising the Trustees, other Members co-opted by the Trustees, and an observer nominated by Cadw: Welsh Historic Monument, met on two occasions during the year, in April and September 2002. Nominations for Membership of the Trust is by invitation from local authorities, museums, local historical and archaeological societies, and other bodies with interests in the historic environment of Wales. Members normally meet once a year at the Annual General Meeting. A list of the Trustees, Committee Members, Members, Staff  and Advisors during all or part of 2002/03 is given below.

 

SOURCES OF FUNDS

The Trust is grateful for the financial support it continues to receive from a number of national bodies, including Cadw: Welsh Historic Monuments, an Executive Agency within the Welsh Assembly Government, the Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Wales, the Countryside Council for Wales, and English Heritage. Cadw provides a contribution to the Trust’s administrative costs, within the terms of the Welsh Assembly’s Government’s support for Voluntary Sector Organisations. Most of the remainder of the Trust’s income came in the form of grant aid and contract awards from the public and private sectors, and is almost exclusively designated for the provision of archaeological services and for specific field or office-based projects within the Trust’s annual programme of work.

 

ACCESS IMPROVEMENTS

The Trust continues to look for better premises in the Welshpool area in order to be able to combine its workforce currently split between two buildings, provide disabled access, and enable improved facilities to be established for outside bodies and members of the general public. A designated fund for the acquisition and/or conversion of new premises has been accumulated by the Trust over a number of years (see Financial Review). An audit was undertaken of the Trust’s responsibilities under the Disability Discrimination Act 1995, leading to amended policies and procedures.

 

Mrs F M L ynch Llewellyn

Chairman of Trustees

11 July 2003

 

 

TRUSTEES, COMMITTEE, MEMBERS AND STAFF AND ADVISORS 2002/03

 

Trustees/Company Directors

Mrs F M Lynch Llewellyn, Chairman, Bangor

Dr J L Davies, Vice Chairman, Aberystwyth

Mr H Jones, Holt

Mr C R Musson, Llanfihangel  y Creuddyn

Mr D W L Rowlands, Llanerfyl

Mr D Morgan, Brecon

 

Committee Members

Dr S H R Aldhouse-Green, University of Wales College, Newport

Mr K S Brassil, National Museums and Galleries of Wales

Mr P Dorling, Brecon Beacons National Park

Dr E Plunkett Dillon, The National Trust

Mr D M Evans, Society of Antiquaries

Mrs F Gale, Denbighshire County Council

Mr D F Keast, Powys County Council

Ms K Kucharski, Wrexham County Borough Council

Mrs Hilary Malaws, Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Wales

Dr S Rees, observer for Cadw: Welsh Historic Monuments

Mr C J Spurgeon, Aberystwyth

 

Members of the Trust

Miss J Ashton, Radnorshire Society

Councillor G R Banks, Powys County Council

Miss E Bredsdorff, Powysland Museum

Mr R Brewer, National Museum of Wales

Councillor P C Evans, Conwy County Borough Council

Councillor Mrs S D Francis, Powys County Council

Councillor Mr J H Hughes, Powys County Council

Councillor Mrs I B Lewis, Powys County Council

Mrs N P Parker, Flintshire Historical Society

Mr D Pratt, Denbighshire Historical Society

Councillor D Rogers, Wrexham County Borough Council

 

Staff

Administration Team

Mr W J Britnell, Director/Company Secretary

Mrs J E Britnell, Administrative Officer

Mrs M Godsell, Finance Assistant

 

Project Team

Mr R J Silvester, Deputy Director/Head of Field Services

Mr N W Jones, Senior Project Archaeologist

Mr R Hankinson, Project Archaeologist

Mr I Grant, Project Archaeologist

Ms W J Owen, Project Archaeologist

 

Curatorial Team

Mr C H R Martin, Head of Curatorial Services

Mr I Bapty, Offa’s Dyke Archaeological Management Officer

Mr D Bull, Heritage Management Assistant/Tir Gofal

Ms A Kennedy, Heritage Management Assistant/Tir Gofal

Mr J Spencer, Regional Sites and Monuments Record Officer

Mr M Walters, Development Control Officer

 

Accountants

Tranter Lowe, Oakengates

 

Auditors

Whittingham Riddell , Welshpool & Shrewsbury

 

Solicitors

Turnbull Garrard, Shrewsbury

 

Bankers

National Westminster Bank, Broad Street, Welshpool