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Jonathan Parkhouse
Jonathan Parkhouse
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My interest in archaeology is life-long. I have always felt at home in old places; my earliest memories are of clambering around the ruins of Tattersall Castle in Lincolnshire and being encouraged to explore the darker recesses of the medieval churches which my family often visited on a Saturday afternoon. The first archaeological excavation I visited was one undertaken by the late Charles Thomas within the early Christian cemetery on Lundy. I was fascinated, and began excavating with a local archaeological society whilst I was still at school. Although my original aim had been to study biology or natural sciences at university, I decided that archaeology might be an interesting way to earn my living, and changed direction. After graduating with a degree in Ancient History and Archaeology from Manchester University I joined a team excavating at a 'Tell' settlement at Haftavan Tepe in Iran (this was a few years before the revolution), before ruturning to do a research degree focussed upon long-distance trade in early medieval Europe, and in particular the distribution of millstones and quernstones made from the basaalt lava of the Eifel mountains.
Since leaving university I have been professionally involved in archaeology and heritage for over 40 years. Following a year analysing the results of excavations on various Roman sites in Chesterfield for the North Derbyshire Archaeological Committee, I spent the next thirteen years as Field Officer for the Glamorgan Gwent Archaeological Trust, undertaking fieldwork across Southeast Wales. This included a series of excavations on Roman and medieval sites in Cowbridge, work on the medieval settlement at Cosmeston, near Penarth, which also involveded the reconstruction of the excavated buildings, and various investigations in the Severn Estuary, including evaluation of the route of the M4 Second Severn Crossing.
In 1991 I moved to Buckinghamshire to manage the archaeological field team attached to the County Museum. This was not long after the publication of new government guidance on the management of archaeology within the planning system had embedded archaeology and the historic environment very firmly into the development process, and there was an upsurge in demand for commercial archaeological services. We were a small team but were able to work on a wide range of projects ranging from excavation of Anglo-saxon cemeteries to surveys of watermeadows. Then in 1999 I was appointed as the County Archaeologist for Warwickshire. This role involved oversight of the county's field team Archaeology Warwickshire, and management of the Archaeological Information and Advice Service which maintained the Warwickshire Historic Environment Record as well as providing both strategic and case-specific advice to local authority planning departments on matters relating to development, providing advice to owners and managers of archaeological sites and other heritage assets, and supporting local societies and communities in understanding, protecting and celebrating their local historic environment. Warwickshire was one of the first counties to make its Historic Environment Record available on the web through Timetrail, and built on this through innovative programmes of outreach.
I have also been active beyond the scope of my main employment. I was a part-time tutor in Adult Education for many years, providing courses for the Universities of Manchester, Swansea and Oxford as well as the WEA. I have served on numerous committees, including the Council of what is now the Chartered Institute for Archaeologists, the lead professional body for archaeologists, and was Vice-Chair 2004-5 with particular responsibility for Outreach. I also served on the executive of the Association of Local Government Archaeological Officers (ALGAO). I am a Fellow of the Society of Antiquaries, and am currently a Trustee of the Glamorgan-Gwent Archaeological Trust.
In 2012 I left Warwickshire County Council and moved to Wiltshire, and am now engaged again in 'hands-on' archaeology, putting the professional experienced gained over the course of my career to use as a freelance consultant. Although I no longer have the resources to initiate my own excavations I still enjoy participating in fieldwork programmes as an experienced excavator - so far my aged knees are still holding up!. I have been involved with the Teffont Archaeology Project and have worked on several projects with Historic England, including some of the investigations within the Stonehenge World Heritage Site, and most recently at the extensive Roman villa at Low Ham, Somerset. I have also undertaken site appraisals and artefact studies and am currently engaged in the completion and editing of reports on two excavation projects on medieval settlements in Warwickshire. I have also been honing my skills in some of the recent technological advances such as GIS and Lidar which provide a range of new insights into the historic environment and the management of archaeological data.
As with many archaeologists my areas of interest are diverse. In addition to directing and participating in a wide range of field projects, I have long been interested in quernstones and millstones, the subject of my university research, and have published a number of specialist reports on these artefacts. I also have an interest in the archaeology of churches, and from 2001-2015 I was the archaeological advisor to the Diocese of Coventry. I'm also keen on castles, water-meadows, medieval settlement patterns, religious identity in the mid first millennium AD and lots of other topics! My main expertise, however, is helping those who make decisions about places of historic and archaeological significance to exercise good stewardship, and enabling local communities to understand and connect with the physical evidence for their past. This is crucial to effective place-shaping, ensuring that decisions taken is respect of development, spatial planning and regeneration pay due regard to local distinctivness. Being able to identify the particular characteristics which make a place special ensures that those characteristics can be enhanced, and opportunities taken to protect the special significance of the places where we live and work.
