Product category:
Bricks, Blocks and Lintels
News Release from: CEMEX
Edited by the Buildingtalk Editorial
Team on 19 May 2008
Archaeological investigations at CEMEX
The first archaeological finds at CEMEX UK's Kingsmead Quarry, Horton, Berkshire, have revealed a hidden history going back over 10,000 years to the end of the last Ice Age.
The finds are the result of the first phase of archaeological investigations by leading building materials provider, CEMEX, as part of mineral extraction developments on the site, which will ensure a continued supply of building materials to the local construction industry Amongst the key finds are flint tools, arrowheads, a bronze and leather working tool, broken pottery and traces of the first farmers at Horton, all of which have enhanced our knowledge and understanding of Horton's history
This article was originally published on Buildingtalk on 22 Mar 2007 at 8.00am (UK)
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Sand and gravel have been quarried in the area since 1946, and over the next 10 years, the company will invest GBP5 million in archaeological investigations at Kingsmead as mineral extraction on the site progresses.
A further GBP3 million is being invested in new, on-site plants for the processing of aggregates and manufacturing of readymixed concrete, which will be commissioned in the summer.
A new Powerscreen plant will process sand and gravel for the concrete plant and provide materials for external markets, while a state-of-the-art McCory concrete plant, which can produce over 120 cubic metres of readymixed concrete per hour (enough to fill more than a double decker bus), will replace the old plants on the site and provide material for construction projects in West London, Berkshire and Surrey.
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The plants will be sited in the north of the 40 hectare site, which is estimated to provide 2.5 million tonnes of sand and gravel over a 10-year period.
The oldest finds include 10,000 year-old flint tools which were used to gather wild foods, such as nuts and fruits, and to hunt animals.
6,000 years later, there are traces of the first farmers at Horton with evidence of small rubbish pits containing broken pottery.
An unusual find dating to about 2,000 BC was a cache of eight flint arrowheads buried in a pit with some flint tools and a small bronze and leather working tool, showing that stone and metal tools were used together.
By 1500 BC, in the middle of the Bronze Age, there is evidence of the move to large field systems and the suggestion that the land was mainly used for pasture.
From this time, a large, elegant bronze pin was found in a ditch and believed to be used to pin the cloak of a farmer.
These archaeological finds by specialists, Wessex Archaeology, are key to enhancing our knowledge and understanding of the history around the Rivers Colne and Thames, to the benefit of local communities and historians.
They also reflect the scale of general changes in society over the centuries, and illustrate how quarrying can make a positive contribution to society beyond the provision of building materials.
The finds and information about the excavations and developments of the site will be on display at an Open Day for local residents and other interested people in the community in June.
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