October 2002
In a letter to Suki Lilienthal, of Parsonage Farm Over Stowey, English Heritage
in Exeter writes:
"We are investigating the extant archaeological remains of the Quantocks, looking at sites ranging from Bronze Age burial cairns to the traces of Second World War activity. This work involves looking at air photographs and examining sites on the ground. We have found several new prehistoric burial mounds, and mapped sites such as The Trendle at a large scale for the first time. The results of the survey work will help to inform conservation and management of the archaeology preserved on the Quantock Hills.
Surveys at Parsonage Farm and Adscombe Chapel: We are currently recording the earthwork remains of an Elizabethan garden, preserved in the field next to Parsonage Farm, Over Stowey. We are mapping the well-defined garden terraces, and may have identified the site of a garden building. As a result of a Countryside Stewardship application, the ruins of Adscombe Chapel were surveyed by English Heritage in July 2002. The survey recorded the location of the ruinous walls of the medieval chapel, together with the interesting earthwork features which surround it. A piece of worked stone form the west window of the chapel was drawn in situ. The survey will form the basis for any future conservation and research work on the site. Reports on both of these surveys will be available from English Heritage.
Contact: Hazel Riley, Investigator, Archaeological Survey, 5 Marlborough Court, Manaton Close, Exeter EX2 8PF. Tel: 01392 8248901"
