County archaeologists have spent months digging the dirt at Credenhill Park Wood (Herefordshire, England). But they were given a helping hand by the Time Team TV crew, who spent a day filming in the county as part of a planned documentary on hill forts in the UK. The wooded hill is the site of one of the largest three hill forts in the country, and digging is currently taking place to determine its extent.
     With the help of students from Cardiff University, a number of trenches have been dug, revealing pottery, Roman coins and possible saw pits. Such trenches and more were shown off by county archaeologist Dr Keith Ray to Time Team presenter Phil Harding and his team of researchers last month. Phil enthused over the work. "There are more hill forts in Herefordshire than any other county," he said. "The fact that the one at Credenhill is being excavated provided a perfect opportunity to explore hill forts further as part of our documentary."
     Excavation work will take place over three years and is part of a longer-term project being carried out in partnership with the Woodland Trust. The dig is the first on a county hill fort for 40 years, and is being overseen by Peter Dorling of Herefordshire Archaeology. But their efforts will receive a massive boost next year when Time Team returns - this time from above. The makers of the Channel 4 programme have agreed to scan the area with Lidar, which bounces lasers off the ground to pick up mounds and soil discrepancies. The findings should give the archaeology team a more precise indication of where activities took place and their date. In the meantime, The Woodland Trust is improving access to the fort, and making it more recognisable to visitors. The Time Team documentary is expected to be shown next spring.

Source: Hereford Times (9 October 2006)