Large numbers of shipwrecks, unidentified anomalies, and debris have built up on the seabed over the twelve millenia of maritime activity in UK waters. Only a fraction of this submerged cultural resource is currently recorded.

The England’s Shipping project was undertaken by Wessex Archaeology to research ways of mapping shipping movements recorded in historical archives. The data gathered was mapped using a Geographic Information System (GIS) and required the development of a methodology for representing historical data spatially. The project was funded by that part of the Aggregate Levy Sustainability Fund (ALSF) distributed by English Heritage.

In 2002 Wessex Archaeology was commissioned by English Heritage, funded through the Aggregate Levy Sustainability Fund to undertake research into previously recovered archaeological artefacts from the sea. The purpose of the project was to collate and enhance records of artefacts from the sea and inter-tidal areas, held by the National Monuments Record (NMR) and selected coastal Sites and Monuments Records (SMRs) and Historic Environment Records (HERs) in England, and to record artefacts held in museums or private collections for inclusion in these databases.

England’s Historic Seascapes is a pilot historic landscape characterisation (HLC) project commissioned by English Heritage. The project will develop a methodology for extending existing HLCs into the inter-tidal and marine zone focussing initially on a study area in Liverpool Bay.

In the dark and fog of the night of Wednesday 21st February 1917, the ss Mendi was rammed by another ship. It was an accident, but with a deep gash in its side, the Mendi was doomed. She sank 25 minutes later and almost 650 men died. The wreck lies off The Isle of Wight, in the English Channel. In Britain the story of the SS Mendi is almost unknown. In South Africa she is famous; a symbol of a racist past and an icon of unity and reconciliation.

​​​​​​​During work at Christchurch Park, Ipswich, a medieval cemetery was found. The remains are probably part of the St Margaret’s church burial ground. The burials were found while a new drainage system for the park renovations was being dug.

The Heritage Lottery Fund awarded Ipswich Borough Council a project planning grant to pay for the investigations needed before restoration work began at Holywells Park. Wessex Archaeology excavated a number of trial trenches to record old surfaces and structures hidden under the ground. These remains tell us more about the history of the park, and the archaeological results were fed back into the renovation plans.

Forbury Gardens has a long and interesting history. Evidence of its past is both visible around you and buried under ground. Digging trenches for cables and pipes, laying new paths and building can all cause damage. So archaeologists were asked to watch the work in progress and keep an eye out for finds and features uncovered during the restoration. Anything significant was cleaned and recorded, then either protected by reburial or removed to safety.