CPAT Trustees' Annual Report 2005/06

Board of trustees
The charitable trust is managed by a board of trustees who 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 trustees met on four occasions during the course of the financial year in question, in April, July, and September 2005 and in January 2006.

The following trustees were elected at the annual general meeting held in September 2005 and held office throughout the 2005/06 financial year:

Advisory Committee and Members
The trust’s Advisory Committee, comprising the trustees, other members co-opted by the trustees, and an observer nominated by Cadw, met on two occasions during the year, in April and September 2005. 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 members and of members of the Advisory Committee during all or part of the 2005/06 financial year is given on pages 11–12.

Senior Managment Team
The day to day management of the organisation is entrusted to a senior management team comprising Mr W J Britnell (trust Director), Mr R J Silvester (Deputy Director), Mr C H R Martin (Head of Curatorial Services) and Mrs J E Britnell (Adminstrative Officer).

Staff, advisors and the use of volunteers
Other staff members and the names and addresses of those acting as accountants, auditors, solicitors and bankers are given on pages 11–12. The trust encourages the use of volunteers in both office and field-based projects, in accordance with a policy which seeks to minimise unfair competition with other bodies. During the year in question, however, only a relatively small number of opportunities for volunteer input presented themselves.

STRUCTURE, GOVERNANCE AND MANAGEMENT

Governing Document
The trust is a charitable company limited by guarantee, incorporated on 14 May 1975 and registered as a charity on 4 January 1979. The company was established under a memorandum of association which established the objects and powers of the charitable company and is governed under its articles of association. The trust’s Memorandum and Articles of Association has been amended by special resolution in October 1978, November 1983 and September 2001. In the event of the company being wound up members are required to contribute an amount not exceeding £1.

Appointment of and responsibility of trustees
Trustees are elected by Members of the trust. The rights, duties responsibilities of trustees and the issue of induction training for trustees is set out in its Memorandum of Trustees’ Responsibilities and Duties.

Risk Review
A review of the major risks to which the charity is exposed, as identified by the trustees, have been reviewed and systems and procedures have been established to manage those risks.

OBJECTIVES AND ACTIVITIES

Principal activity and area of operation
The principal object of the trust as set out in its Memorandum of Association is the education of the public in archaeology. The trust is one of the four archaeological trusts in Wales who work closely with other national, regional and local bodies and members of the general public to help record, interpret and protect all aspects of the historic environment. The trust’s primary sphere of activity is in the Clwyd-Powys area of mid and north-east Wales covered by the modern 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 TRUST’S ACTIVITIES DURING THE PAST YEAR

Measuring achievements and performance
Most of the work undertaken by the trust takes the form either of services or projects grant-aided by public sector bodies or projects carried out in fulfilment of a commercial contract with the private sector. This work is generally carried out in accordance with documented aims and objectives. Performance and the achievement of targets are reviewed by the board of trustees, and regularly monitored internally by the senior management team and externally by grant awarding bodies and clients.

Archaeological research and investigation
The trust continued to undertake a wide variety of projects in the field, usually either in response to proposed developments which might have an impact upon the historic environment or in order to enhance our understanding of the past. As in previous years projects have 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, where for convenience the names of the former counties of Brecknock, Radnor and Montgomery in Powys are used.

The following projects, some of which continued from previous financial years, were funded by Cadw during the course of the year as part of the programme of threat-related assessments being undertaken by the four Welsh Archaeological trusts. Prehistoric Funerary and Ritual Sites Site visits were made to sites in the eastern Brecon Beacons and northern Brecknock, which brought to completion the rapid survey of the numerous Neolithic and Bronze Age field monuments including long barrows, round barrows and cairns, standing stones and stone circles in the Clwyd-Powys area that was initiated by the trust in the late 1990s. The project has been undertaken as part of a pan-Wales initiative, partly with a view to raising awareness of their significance and partly from the point of view of their future protection and management. Historic Landscapes Historic landscape characterization was undertaken in the Middle Usk Valley area outlined in Part Two of the Register of Historic Landscapes, as part of a continuing pan-Wales initiative. The historic landscape area includes the historic town of Brecon and Llangorse Lake as well as the Usk valley itself. The aim of the study was to enhance our understanding of how this distinctive landscape came into being and to make information about it more widely available. A bilingual leaflet was produced on the Elan Valley historic landscape with grant aid from both Cadw and the Elan Valley trust and bilingual web pages about the Vale of Llangollen historic landscape studied in the previous year was also posted on the trusts website. Short Dykes in the Welsh Borderland Work was undertaken on six more of the short dykes in the Welsh borderlands. The purpose of the project has been to learn more about these enigmatic monuments as well as to make arrangements for their continued protection. Radiocarbon dating evidence was obtained for two further dykes, Clawdd Mawr and the Upper Short Ditch which for the first time have been shown to date to the period between the sixth and eighth centuries AD. Roman forts and associated civilian settlements Continuing the programme of survey on sites in and around Roman forts in mid Wales which began in 2004/05, geophysical survey was undertaken near Brecon Gaer and Pen-y-gaer (Brecknock) and near Forden Gaer (Montgomeryshire). In addition ground survey was undertaken on the earthworks of the Roman and medieval site at Colwyn Castle (Radnorshire) and on the unpublished excavations of the late Professor Barri Jones in the Vyrnwy valley (Montgomeryshire). The project is designed to enhance our understanding of the nature of Roman occupation of Wales and assist in the management of this aspect of our heritage. Defended enclosures in Radnorshire This new project involves an assessment of the form and condition of more than 50 defended enclosures in Radnorshire, largely of later prehistoric date, as part of a pan-Wales initiative. Sites visited and assessed include larger hillforts such as Burfa Bank and smaller cropmark enclosures such as those at Hindwell and Knapp Farm in the Walton Basin. Ports and harbours in North-East Wales This project again forms part of a pan-Wales initiative, which in this instance is focused on the historic ports and harbours along the north coast of Wales and Dee estuary in Flintshire and Denbighshire. The project, which it is anticipated will be completed next financial year, is designed to provide a detailed assessment of potentially significant archaeological remains, whether upstanding, buried or submerged, as a basis for developing future management strategies. Corndon Round Barrow This Bronze Age round barrow which forms part of cluster of prehistoric burial monuments in the area of Corndon Hill was recorded and reinstated following damage caused during tree-felling operations.

A number of other field projects were undertaken during the course of the year with funding from various other bodies. Building recording work was undertaken at Royal House, Machynlleth, Montgomeryshire, with funding from the Machynlleth Tabernacl Trust and at Nantclwyd House, Ruthin, on behalf of Denbighshire County Council. Extensive building recording and some excavation was undertaken on Roundhouse Farm, Nantyglo, on behalf of Blaenau Gwent County Borough Council and at the former Llanfyllin Workhouse on behalf of Y Dolydd Building Preservation trust. A programme of archaeological recording was undertaken during the construction of the Mynydd Clogau windfarm, Montgomeryshire and in advance of the proposed construction of a windfarm on Mynydd Hiraethog, Denbighshire. Excavations were undertaken inside St Asaph Cathedral, Denbighshire, on behalf of the Dean and Chapter in advance of reflooring, and in Rectory Lane, New Radnor, Radnorshire, in response to proposed developments.

Topographical survey was undertaken on Moel Findeg, Maeshafn and its associated lead mining remains on behalf of Denbighshire County Council in connection with proposals to create a local nature reserve. A rapid identification survey of upland sites in an area of Beacon Hill, Llangunllo, Radnorshire, was undertaken with funding from the Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Wales. A tenth and final season of upland field survey was also undertaken within the Vyrnwy Estate in Montgomeryshire with funding from Severn Trent Water for the purpose of record enhancement and heritage management.

Historic landscape analysis was undertaken as part of both the Montgomeryshire LANDMAP and Flintshire LANDMAP projects on behalf of Powys County Council, Flintshire County Council and the Countryside Council for Wales. Staff of the trust contined to sit on CCW’s quality assurance panel for the historic landscape aspect of LANDMAP.

Education and outreach
Education and outreach initiatives undertaken during the year included an input of staff time into the Council for British Archaeology’s National Archaeology Day 2005, hosted by the Powysland Museum, Welshpool, which again involved various events involving members of the re-enactment group Cwmwd Iâl. Following the successful completion of the Bangor-on-Dee Community Archaeology Project last year, the trust has been involved with the provision of information for the churches at Chirk, Holt, Tallarn Green and Worthenbury for the Wrexham Open Churches Network, with funding from Northern Marches Cymru. Training in excavation and recording techniques was provided at St Michael’s Church Abergele, for students and volunteers in the Abergele area. Advice was provided to staff of Llandrindod Wells Museum on a proposed Walton Basin virtual reality model to accompany the refurbished museum displays. Staff of the trust delivered several presentations on the Historic Landscape Aspect of LANDMAP at training seminars organised by CCW for local authority staff in Wales, and also gave a presentation on Historic Landscape Characterisation as part of a post-graduate Heritage Management course at the Ironbridge Institute, Shropshire. Trust staff participated in the filming of the Time Team at Ffrith, broadcast in April 2006.

Various updates were made to the trust’s website (www.cpat.org.uk) during the year, including the addition of bilingual webpages about the Vale of Llangollen historic landscape and the Clwyd-Powys Metal Mines Survey, and Your Community – Frith webpages which are linked to Channel 4’s Time Team website. A number of historic landscape walks were organised for various bodies, including several along Offa’s Dyke and one in the Elan Valley, the latter coinciding with the launch of the Cambrian Mountains Society. Talks on a wide variety of archaeological and historical topics were also given to numerous groups throughout the course of the year.

A total 87 (2004/05: 73) project and topic reports were produced during 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. Publications to which staff members contributed to during the year included a report on the excavation of a Neolithic wetland site at Abercynafon, Talybont-on-Usk, published in the Journal of Wetland Archaeology, on a Late Bronze Age hoard form Trevalyn Farm, Rosset, published in Studia Celtica, on Radnorshire’s Prehistoric funerary and ritual monuments, published in the Radnorshire Transactions, on the Commons and Wastes, published in a volume entitled Society, Landscape and Environment in Upland Britain, on Church building stone, in a volume entitled Stone in Wales. Materials, Heritage and Conservation, and on Deserted Rural Settlements, in a volume entitled Lost Farmsteads. Deserted Rural Settlements in Wales published by the Council for British Archaeology.

The trust continues to be actively involved in the work of a number of local and national historical and archaeological societies and groups.

Archaeological advice and information
With the help of funding from the Royal Commission and Cadw the trust continues to maintain a dynamic record of sites, finds, historic buildings and areas of archaeological importance known as the Regional Historic Environment Record (HER), covering Powys, eastern Conwy, Denbighshire, Flintshire, and Wrexham. The main objectives 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. New information is added from recent fieldwork projects and from published and unpublished sources.

The HER has been 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. With the help of financial assistance from Cadw the HER responded to 8,430 internal and external enquiries during the year. It continues to be principally used on a day-to-day basis for development control and Tir Gofal but has also provided information to private researchers, archaeological contractors and consultants. Work also continued during the year on the development of a Welsh thesaurus of archaeological terms in conjunction with the Royal Commission and other partners.

With the help of funding from Cadw, Conwy Borough Council, Flintshire County Council, and Powys County Council 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. During the course of the year the trust was notified of 7,770 (2004/05: 8,269) planning applications in addition to consultations on non-planning proposals such as highway scheme proposals and minerals applications from local authorities, all of which were checked to see whether they had significant archaeological implications. Notable casework during the course of the year involved developments at Domgay Lane, Four Crosses (Montgomeryshire), St George’s Quarry, Abergele (Conwy), New Radnor (Radnorshire), Talgarth Bypass (Brecknock), and Welshpool Smithfield (Montgomeryshire).

The Offa’s Dyke Initiative This initiative, managed by the trust and jointly funded by Cadw and English Heritage, was established a number of years ago in response to growing concerns about the deteriorating condition of this nationally important linear earthwork. Work undertaken during the course of 2005/06 included practical conservation, development control and planning advice, and management advice. Some management work was undertaken in Wales as part of CCW’s Tir Gofal agri-environment scheme, notably at Plas Offa, Wrexham, Caeaugwynion, Hawthorn Hill, Powys which collectively bring a long and high profile section of dyke into management. Work also continued with Cadw funding on lengths of dyke at Tatham Road, Ruabon and on Wat’s Dyke at Dyke Farm, Flintshire. Other vegetation clearance schemes working with external agencies have been undertaken at Granner Wood and Four Crosses, Powys. Practical management schemes in England have included woodland clearance along the dyke in Racecourse Wood, Shropshire and similar works in association with the Woodland trust (with interpretation and footpath protection) in Creeping Tree Wood, Gloucestershire. The realisation of clearance works at the far southern end of the dyke in Gloucestershire at Sedbury (with combined EH and Countryside Agency funding) has been an important symbolic project in reopening the view from the end of the dyke across the Severn Estuary, which had been effectively lost since the 1950s. A key development control issue remains the effective preservation of the landscape setting of Offa’s Dyke.

Archaeological advice and information continued to be provided to the Countryside Council for Wales (CCW) and to 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 180 (2004/05: 202) farm applications to Tir Gofal during the course of the year as well as producing more detailed surveys and reports on 39 (2004/05: 42) selected farms accepted into the scheme following field visits.

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 continues to be actively involved with the Portable Antiquities Scheme in Wales run by the National Museum and Gallery, recording new finds that are are brought in by members of the public.

KEY OBJECTIVES FOR THE COMING FINANCIAL YEAR

The trust aims to continue the activities outlined above in the coming financial year subject to satisfactory funding arrangements. This will include the continued maintenance and development of the various archaeological services noted above together with the successful completion of field and office-based projects continuing into the coming year. The need for more alternative accommodation (for which some financial provision is made) continues to be a pressing issue but seems unlikely to be resolved in the short to medium term. It is anticipated that the services that the trust provides to the community will be significantly enhanced by new Welsh Historic Environment Records Software which is expected to be introduced during the coming year and for which financial provision continues to be made. In terms of the financial affairs, it is likely that steps will be taken in the current year to lessen the trust’s exposure to pension scheme liability.

By order of the Board of Trustees

Mrs F M Lynch Llewellyn
Chairman of Trustees
21 July 2006