2024 – Rediscovering Greys Court’s hidden gatehouse

In July 2024 SOAG was excited to be given the opportunity to participate in a dig run by the National Trust at Greys Court, just outside Henley on Thames. This formed part of the Festival of Archaeology, the biggest archaeological celebration in the UK, organised by the Council of British Archaeology.

The dig ran from 15th to 21st July 2024 and took place on the Oval Lawn outside the main house. The overall objective of the study was to better understand the medieval and post-medieval layouts of the manor and, in particular, to look for the remains of a courtyard wall together with a possible gatehouse structure which would have provided access to the courtyard of the Tudor house. A secondary objective was to give visitors close access to the archaeological research as it unfolded on site and to offer opportunities for the general public to connect with and learn more about their local history and heritage.

A series of ‘parch-marks’ – clearly visible on the lawn in dry weather – had long hinted at the wall’s existence – as had an 18th-century engraving depicting the site and illustrating both wall and possible gatehouse structure.

A geophysics survey across the lawn by SOAG provided further evidence – as well as highlighting a plethora of other structures or buildings on the lawn.

The dig was run by National Trust archaeologist Adrian Cox with SOAG providing the manpower, tools, and equipment. It was oversubscribed by members, with most having the opportunity to dig for only one or two days. There was also a great deal of interest from the public and, for many of us, it was a very different experience digging with a constant throng of visitors around the trench, taking photographs and asking questions.

The Cromwellian room – where the finds were being processed – was constantly packed and it was especially positive that several visitors have since become members of SOAG.

The results of this small dig are being written up by the NT archaeologist Adrian and the full conclusions will be shared with SOAG at a later date. What may be said so far is that but we discovered the base of the courtyard wall, an associated structure behind it – possibly part of the gatehouse – as well as a paved surface leading into the courtyard. Intriguingly, we also found evidence of a much deeper, probably older wall, heading off at a slightly different angle. There were no metal finds and few pottery sherds – but one we did find was very helpfully dated to 1691 and possibly linked with the destruction of the wall.

2025 – Excavating the remains of the inter-court range

SOAG was once again given the opportunity to participate in a dig run by the National Trust at Greys Court near Henley on Thames, to mark the Festival of Archaeology organised by the Council of British Archaeology. The dig ran from 19 to 27 July and took place on the north end of the Oval Lawn directly in front of the main house.

The location of the trench was determined by the results of the geophysical survey conducted the previous year and also guided by parch-marks which were again clearly visible thanks to the dry weather. The dig was directed by National Trust archaeologist Adrian Cox with SOAG providing the manpower, tools, and equipment. The main objective this time was to investigate an inter-court range that would have linked the main house to another building to the east of the courtyard.

This goal was achieved with the discovery of a complex sequence of walls that suggest a range of buildings running in the E-W direction of the parch marks, as well as possible entrance running N-S to with a substantial brick-built structure at least 9 courses deep at the east end of the trench which would certainly merit further investigation. One of the earliest features in the trench was a well-built brick rain water drain terminating in a deep soak-away pit filled with building rubble. The drain would have originated at the house but had been truncated by a wall at a later date.

Finds included window glass (as well as lead ‘came’), pottery and floor tile, probably dating from the Tudor period indicating that these were high status buildings, and earlier material likely redeposited from the medieval buildings elsewhere on the site.

The level of public engagement was particularly pleasing with both the dig site itself and the finds area (in the Cromwellian room) becoming hives of activity during peak periods. The addition of a SOAG “meet and greet” person turned out to be a wise decision as was reserving a corner of the trench to allow children to practise their trowelling skills! The visitors were encouraged to fill in feedback forms provided by the National Trust. In total 166 were received and all were very positive with many welcoming the opportunity to see a “real” dig taking place and to engage with the team. Some asked why we weren’t given more time! Greys Court event team also commented on how well it has gone which bodes well for another (and possibly longer) excavation next year. There was also a nice write up in the local newspaper (the Henley Standard) despite the mistakes in our name!

Overall, another successful collaboration with the National Trust which was nicely summed up by this feedback from Adrian “I just wanted to record my heartfelt thanks to all the SOAG volunteers for your excellent work on this year’s excavation at Greys Court. The standard of work was very high, and we have achieved some important results, shedding further light on the development and use of structures in the area of the courtyard. We also engaged with a large number of visitors, who were very interested and keen to talk with us – so thank you for your enthusiasm and great work on this too.”