Chapter 5

The Archaeological Heritage in Action

Archaeology in Education

Geography is about places and the space in the landscape that they occupy. Places are patchworks of the effects of natural and human actions over long periods of time so that while they are 'now' to us in the 21^st century it is actually their 'then', which has determined their present form. Then and now are both elements of the present townscape of Shrewsbury and it is important to draw people's attention to this is order to help them identify with their surroundings.

Most would agree that no-one's education is complete without some grasp of the main stages of past human development and of the technological achievements of both prehistoric and historic periods. This can be developed particularly at local level to place Shrewsbury in its natural and historical context for both its residents and its visitors.

People are becoming increasingly aware of the heritage created by the activities of their forebears, as is witnessed by the increasing popularity of television, radio and printed media provision for archaeology and history and by the flourishing of a wide variety of societies with relevant backgrounds. This has the benefit that people are becoming more alert to threats to their environment in all its forms.

The breadth of scope offered by archaeology allows it to be used in many forms in education. In particular, at school level, within any restrictions imposed by changes to the National Curriculum it can be used to teach such basic skills as: practical problem solving; investigation and evaluation; careful data gathering and recording ; communication in written, aural, audio-visual or IT forms; appreciating overlapping areas between disciplines and developing transferable skills; whilst at a higher educational level it can lead to better use of IT skills, scientific research and applications within other disciplines such as architecture, surveying, economic and social sciences, agriculture, environmental studies and so on. In particular, in the modern world, archaeology can demonstrate most clearly the multi-cultural nature of society throughout time and offer salutary lessons for the future.

Perhaps it is inevitable that the focus for using archaeology in education will tend to fall upon the Museums Service, since the most visible evidence is currently displayed in their facilities. Museums allow us to learn through our senses, especially sight, hearing and touch, in ways that stimulate and give pleasure and understanding. They can develop our feelings as well as our powers of perception, analysis, ethical awareness, imagination and creativity. They must be sensitive to the richness and diversity of the society of which they are a part but should also offer a vision of society as it could or should be. There is no reason why this approach should not also be applied to the fabric of the town of Shrewsbury, which is as much a teaching and learning resource as are the artefacts held within the museums' collections.

At various levels within the educational system, the Museums Service already makes great use of archaeology and historical material as a teaching resource. Within Key Stages 1-3, use of Roman and medieval material is well established, alongside sessions examining life in the Tudor, Stuart and Victorian town. Limitations of actual archaeologically derived artefacts for these later periods place restraints in the extent to which archaeology can currently play a direct role in this provision.

As suggested above, archaeological collections can also be utilised in other curricula such as Science, Maths or Geography but this will need to be resourced and supported. It is not easy to envisage which specific sites outside the Museum could be regularly exploited in this way without considerable financial input or staff availability. At Key Stage 4 and 5 most of the history syllabus is modern. There is now only one A-Level course in archaeology with elements within the Classical Civilisation syllabus. Few schools or colleges teach either certainly within the state system, though forming a partnership with a sixth form to assist their course delivery would be possible if the demand arose.

At Higher Education level, there is much greater scope for the exploitation of the archaeology of the town, region and the Museums collections. A number of University departments (such as Warwick, Birmingham and Nottingham) already make substantial use of the collections, though the nature of those collections means that much of the research undertaken involves prehistoric and Roman material. This is an area of expansion. It may be possible to arrange training placements along the lines already run by Shrewsbury Museums Service over six week periods. This may make it possible to apply research students to particular priorities identified by this Strategy document as it develops in the future.

In addition to internal research priorities, the research topics identified in this document could also be actively promoted through the Museums web page and other archaeological association web pages. Research statistics from post-excavation projects undertaken within the museums service and unpublished could be posted on relevant academic web sites as a reference source for researchers.

Archaeology and Vernacular Architecture have, traditionally, been a strong element of the kind of Liberal Studies courses offered by Universities and the Workers Educational Association. This is still the case although changes in the way such courses are funded and the development of certification has changed the profile of the student participants. As a result, it can be suggested that in some ways , this provision now 'preaches to the converted' and does not address the question of the education in its broadest sense of the rest of the public as proposed by this document.

Informal learning can be increased by interpretation in a variety of ways. Examples might include the site-specific interpretation panels suggested elsewhere in the Strategy; guided tours; public lectures, workshops, quizzes as well as displays both in and outside the Museums or on actual excavation sites. In the latter case, safety aspects might make it essential to have remote viewing stations perhaps via video-link. In all these cases, consideration must be given to Access requirements under new legislation.

There are also a number of other bodies, which offer archaeology in the town. The Shropshire Archaeological and Historical Society offers a programme of lectures and field trips as well as producing annual transactions - the main vehicle for publication of work in the town. The Sites and Monuments Record is maintained not only for the Planning System but also as a source of information for the public. The Young Archaeologists Club offers access to archaeology for those aged between 9 – 16, many members of which have since gone on to take up courses or even careers in archaeology. National Archaeology Days, National Heritage Days, Museums Week and West Midlands Archaeology Week run by the Council for British Archaeology, all offer vehicles to provide opportunities for involvement in a direct way with the archaeology of the town.

In terms, however, of the more important informal, almost passive, education of the town's residents, the role of the media should not be underestimated. Local newspapers and Radio Shropshire are important in providing access to information as it develops as well as to more general archaeological/historical material, for example the long running series 'Sunday's Place' on the radio drew some of the station's best audiences for several years.

It is unfortunate that while the potential is endless, the resources available are finite. In order to meet that potential, consideration of public and private funding initiatives will be essential.

Archaeology and Museums

Shrewsbury Museums Service comprises Rowley's House Museum, Shrewsbury Castle (including the Shropshire Regimental Museum), Coleham Pumping Station and Clive House Museum (the latter is closed to the public at the time of writing). The museum collections and the buildings in which they are held represent and reflect the heritage of the town in several different ways. The Service takes the view that 'archaeology' as a term covers the entire period of human activity in the area although the main collections in the traditional sense of archaeology are currently housed within Rowley's House Museum.

The archaeological collections include prehistoric finds from both within the current Shrewsbury and Atcham District Boundary, the rest of the county of Shropshire and further afield. The internationally important Romano-British material from excavations on the site of Viroconium (Wroxeter) and other sites of the period provide the background data against which the later development of Shrewsbury can be set. As is noted elsewhere in this document, archaeological investigation of the town centre has been limited but significant collections from work at Shrewsbury Abbey and a number of lesser sites are housed in Rowley's House Museum.

The current Museums Service Acquisition Policy presumes that archaeological finds and archives from sites within the current District boundary are collected, whilst material from beyond that line is collected by the Shropshire County Museums Service or the Ironbridge Gorge Museum Trust. There are occasional exceptions such as the archive from the A5/A49 project and the recent Wroxeter Hinterland Research Project whose activities spread beyond the District boundary but where maintenance of the entire archive in the most appropriate institution has resulted in material being donated to Shrewsbury Museums Service. The successful interaction between these bodies, in conjunction with other agencies mentioned throughout this document, works towards best practice in managing the total archaeological resource.

The stated aims of Shrewsbury Museums Service are:

i) To collect, preserve, record and interpret the material evidence of man and the environment in Shrewsbury and Shropshire

ii) to act as a local, national and international resource for information about the natural history, archaeology, history, decorative arts and other aspects of the heritage of Shrewsbury, Shropshire and its region.

iii) To provide access to the museum collections (held for the public benefit) or information about them through long- and short- term displays or other interpretative techniques.

iv) To interpret the natural and human history of Shrewsbury, Shropshire and its region through displays, publications, lectures, broadcasts, the World-Wide-Web and other means.

In this context, any work undertaken should stimulate residents' imaginations, enhancing both their own concern for their heritage as well as that of their elected representatives, and stimulating discussion over future programmes of archaeological research in the town and district. As excavations and other research take place, priorities in research agenda will develop and the Museums Service Acquisition policies and strategies will adjust to reflect these changes, whilst adhering to the principles set out above.

It is anticipated that the Museums may become more involved in presenting the results of on-site work 'as it happens' through a variety of interpretative media within and outside the Museums. It may become appropriate to target particular sites or parts of them in order to develop categories of artefacts within the Museums Service collections, which may otherwise be poorly represented. Examples might be the Tudor and Stuart period, where the town retains a wealth of architectural evidence but the material culture is extremely poorly represented. Equally, although there are considerable bulk collections of pot sherds or tile from the mediaeval period, it is ill-served in terms of organic materials such as leather, wood and fabrics and targeting specific sites such as the current car parks either side of Rowley's House Museum could produce abundant evidence unlikely to survive elsewhere in the town.

In order to stimulate and develop public interest in the archaeology of Shrewsbury, artefacts are often much more compelling than the footprints of structures which, once backfilled after excavation soon lose their appeal. Targeting sites for specific needs of museum collections can be argued to be as valid a reason for this approach as any other academic criterion.

The importance of Shrewsbury's unique and finite archaeological resource must be underlined by enabling and encouraging programmes of research making wider use of the considerable expertise of staff in the Museums Service alongside those contractors undertaking work and in conjunction with other academic and archaeological bodies.

One way in which this is being developed is through the use of a computerised collections database, linked to, a Geographical Information System. This allows accurate mapping of material of all types held within the various museums' collections and detailed interrogation of the data. It is intended to provide public access to the system through an in-gallery computer during the year 2000-2001.

Shrewsbury Museums Service, in partnership with Ironbridge Gorge Museums Trust and the Wedgwood Museum are developing a web-site (with an initial target of 3000 images) which will make available a wide range of data concerning the social and industrial history of this part of the midlands during the 18^th and 19^th centuries, including the development of science, technology, archaeology, geology, and associated subjects, drawing upon the collections of the three services. A second project (Shrewsbury Museums Service in partnership with English Heritage and the University of Birmingham Field Archaeology Unit), including a projected 4000 images, is planned to illustrate and interpret the archaeology of Wroxeter. In this way, much material, which would otherwise remain obscure can be brought into the worldwide public domain. Similarly the County Council hopes to make material from the Sites and Monumnets Record, including the Urban Archaeological Database, accessible to the public, by means of an Heritage Lottery Bid currently under development.

Provision of information in both electronic and printed formats helps ensure that archaeological data is made available for investigation by other disciplines, such as architectural research, biological sciences, materials science etc. They may in turn produce research agendas in fields as yet unconsidered, which will, in turn, instigate reassessment of both museum policies and archaeological strategies.

The multi- and inter- disciplinary approaches taken by the Museums Service will continue to develop in this way to meet its aims as stated above.

Archaeology in Tourism

As far as visitors are concerned, Shrewsbury is primarily a historic town destination. Most towns have history but it is the visible fabric of Shrewsbury's history which is the main attraction for most of our tourists. The main activity for over half of visitors is sightseeing and when asked what they most like about Shrewsbury most answers are related to historic buildings, interesting old streets, 'medieval' atmosphere and unique character.

Despite this emphasis on the historic town, however, Shrewsbury lacks the focus and visual drama of some of the larger historic town destinations. It is the sum total of its buildings and streets which provides the attraction, not one major building or site.

For Shrewsbury the quality of the different parts of the historic attraction become more important. Looking after and developing Shrewsbury's archaeology is essential to the well being of its tourist industry - an industry which is worth approximately £57 million per year to the local economy.

Archaeology and Marketing

The Shrewsbury Tourism Strategy cites underdeveloped themes and lack of dramatic focal points as key issues for tourism in the area. Shrewsbury needs to develop unique themes and attractions to compete with other destinations. As the Strategy also states,. Shrewsbury's archaeology is of a quality and variety which gives it national significance but much of this archaeology is physically and/or intellectually inaccessible to the average non-specialist visitor. Archaeology is currently an underdeveloped asset, which could give Shrewsbury some of the unique selling points it needs.

Contributing to Quality Tourism

From a Tourism perspective Shrewsbury's archaeology falls into four categories:

a) Interesting, accessible and well- presented - already available and enjoyed by visitors, an important part of the tourist offer.

b) Interesting and accessible but not as enjoyable or well-presented as it could be therefore not fulfilling its potential - an underdeveloped or dated visitor site, a public area with no indications of the archaeological interest to be seen.

c) Semi-accessible - for instance on private property but visible and accessible to a degree e.g. in a shop or pub.

d) Not generally accessible - e.g. in cellars, on private property, hidden by other development.

The main potential for Archaeology to contribute to tourism lies in categories b and c

The Shrewsbury Tourism Strategy identifies interpretation of archaeology within the town itself as a specific action point between now and 2002.

By enhancing accessible sites and finding ways to make accessible more sites - both physically and intellectually, Shrewsbury's archaeology will contribute to more enjoyable and fulfilling visits for the tourist and help to provide the unique features which may attract visitors to come to Shrewsbury rather than another destination. This will lead to:

• more visits
• repeat visits
• longer stays
• increased spending in the locality