1986-Maiden Lane, Covent Garden

Photos from and taken by Bob Cowie

 ‘Now I am prepared to be proved wrong on this one, but I have a feeling, that the hunky human scale in this photograph, standing in a 9th Century ditch at Maiden Lane, Covent Garden, is none other than former DGLA archaeologist Ian Grainger (now MOLA’s Health and Safety Compliance Manager). I have to admit, that those sections and the adjoining spoil heap at the top look a bit dodgy to me Ian, but hey, it was 1986!’ — Ian Blair

Ken Whitaker undertaking bucket flotation to recover carbonised material and Caroline Pathy-Barker wet-sieving

 

View of Saxon features at Maiden Lane, including that ditch; Exchange Court can just be glimpsed (extreme left); and the hoarding (top) fronted onto Maiden Lane; the side of the Adelphi Theatre (extreme right) – Frank Thornton (of Are You Being Served? fame was appearing there in Me and My Girl briefly looked in on us.

End of dig BBQ on Friday 27 June 1986.
Left-right: Sarah and Stuart Gibson (sitting), Gavin Evans, Dave Whipp, Dave Pritchard, Lesley Dunwoodie, Ian Grainger and Barney Sloane (who began work on site as a volunteer)