7892 London Protected Wreck Site: Remote Sensing

The London is an important Seventeenth Century Protected Wreck Site comprising two areas of extensive submerged archaeological remains lying in the Thames Estuary off Southend on Sea. First designated in October 2008, the site(s) has been subject to detailed, but limited, archaeological investigation in order to provide specific information to manage items at risk from natural and anthropogenic erosion and accretion. Recovered material has formed a key feature of a new gallery in the Central Museum in Southend on Sea and significant artefacts have been loaned to the National Maritime Museum's gallery on Tudor and Stuart Seafarers. The wreck is managed by Historic England for the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport but despite a recent programme of evaluation and regular monitoring by the highly-motivated voluntary Licensed team, with oversight provided by the nominated archaeologist, our understanding of the depth of stratigraphy across the two areas remains incomplete. This lack of knowledge regarding the extent and depth of buried archaeological remains across the two designated areas is a key gap in our understanding of the London Protected Wreck Site. This project is therefore intended to provide for a short programme of geophysical survey (comprising sub-bottom profiling only) across both sites in order to provide full and definitive information about the nature and extent of buried deposits associated with the London protected wreck site. This important piece of research will enable Historic England, and our partners, to move from reactive management to proactive management of the wreck site.