Sweet Track site (area SWB), Brue Valley, Somerset
Author(s): Richard Brunning
The early Neolithic Sweet Track is known to run for just under 2 km between the Polden Hills and the ‘island’ of Westhay in the central Brue valley. Near its southern end its route crosses a ridge of hard geology known as Shapwick Burtle. Previous monitoring work (Jones 2013) had suggested that the trackway was under threat of damage by desiccation in the areas beside the burtle. To counter this threat, a method of ‘wrapping’ the monument in a plastic membrane was undertaken based on a Dutch technique. To install the membrane, it was necessary to excavate four trenches across the line of the Sweet Track in September 2016. These have provided evidence of the changing character of the structure as it approached the dry ground of Shapwick Burtle, augmenting the previous work in that area and at the nearby southern terminal of the trackway at the foot of the Polden hills. Monitoring of the burial environment over three years (end of March 2017 to November 2019) showed that there was no significant threat to the monument from desiccation during that period. The membrane had little observable beneficial effect over that time, except possibly to retain moisture longer over the spring/early summer. It is suspected that any potential benefit would only be apparent during a much drier summer when the water table is lower.
- Report Number:
- 5/2022
- Series:
- Other
- Pages:
- 71
- Keywords:
- Neolithic Trackway
