By: MOLA Headland

The value of excavating Park Street to understanding the development of Birmingham
July 5, 2019

Josephine Adams is a historical researcher and specialist in burials in 19th century Birmingham. In this blog she explores past excavations in Birmingham and the potential of the Park Street burial ground excavations, being undertaken by MOLA Headland on behalf of LM for the HS2 project, to allow a better…

Read More
Anglo-Saxon shears (c) Highways England courtesy of MOLA Headland
Ask the Expert: Anglo-Saxon textile making on A14C2H
July 3, 2019

Across the scheme we’ve uncovered items which relate to Anglo-Saxon clothing and textile production, sometimes in small amounts, and sometimes in larger, more concentrated amounts. In this blog, MOLA Headland finds expert Lyn Blackmore comments on the evidence we have so far… Q: To make clothes, Anglo-Saxons would first have…

Read More
MOLA Headland archaeologists excavating the burial of Lucy Lawrence, mother of Sir Thomas Lawrence PRA FRS, a leading English portrait painter and the fourth president of the Royal Academy (c) HS2, courtesy of MOLA Headland
The artists of St James’s burial ground revealed
June 5, 2019

Robert Hartle, Senior Archaeologist for MOLA Headland Infrastructure is currently working on the archaeological excavation of the 18th and 19th century St James’s burial ground at Euston for Costain Skanska Joint Venture (CSjv) on behalf of HS2. In this blog Robert delves into the burial ground’s artistic connections and what…

Read More
Assessing human remains during an archaeological excavation: What can we learn?
May 29, 2019

Don Walker is one of the Senior Osteologists undertaking archaeological excavation and research at Park Street burial ground on behalf of LM for HS2. In this blog he explores what happens on site and what we can learn from excavating and assessing human remains. Archaeologists undertaking burial ground excavations take…

Read More
MOLA Headland numismatist Julian Bowsher studies the coin (c) Highways England courtesy of MOLA Headland
Rare Roman coin depicting ill-fated emperor Laelianus identified on A14C2H
May 20, 2019

In the last #A14Archaeology blog, we looked at Iron Age coins in Cambridgeshire and found out from our numismatist, Julian Bowsher, about the significance of one particular Iron Age coin discovered along the route. In this blog, we’re taking a closer look at a rare coin with a more dramatic tale…

Read More
Detail of horse on Iron Age gold coin discovered on A14C2H (c) Highways England courtesy of MOLA Headland
Ask the Expert: Iron Age coins in Cambridgeshire
April 17, 2019

The study of coins, and currency more generally speaking, is known as numismatics. In archaeology, numismatics can help us to ascertain precise dates and find out who occupied or passed through a particular site. They can also tell us about trade networks, belief systems and leadership. In this blog, find…

Read More
Steve Bell’s political cartoon (1994) illustrating how attitudes to population growth endure through the years.
Park Street burial ground and Birmingham’s population expansion
April 17, 2019

Read More
Evidence of cremation in the archaeological record
April 11, 2019

In this blog, we look at cremation urns, what they are, and what they mean for archaeologists. Our excavations along the route of the new A14 Cambridge to Huntingdon improvement scheme have led us to uncover fascinating stories about Cambridgeshire’s past populations and the discovery of human remains plays a…

Read More
MOLA Headland
March 11, 2019

Test

Read More
Cartwheel two pence coins made at the Soho Mint, Birmingham, England, © courtesy of Detecting
All Change Please! Exploring Birmingham’s minting history
March 8, 2019

1797 was the year that the first top hat debuted on top of a haberdasher’s head; the year that poet William Wordsworth was suspected of being a French spy whilst the war with France raged on; the Bank of England issued the first one-pound and two-pound notes, and the year…

Read More
×