Auger Survey at East Mersea Tudor Blockhouse, Essex - AWARD

This contract is for an auger survey of a scheduled Henrician blockhouse/artillery fort and associated foreshore (intertidal) features, that lie on the Essex coast at East Mersea. The site is threatened with imminent loss due to coastal erosion. The principal aim of the survey is to provide data that will enable informed decisions to be made about where and what to target for excavation as part of a broader programme of investigation being drawn up for the site, thereby creating a permanent enhanced understanding and record of it in advance of inevitable loss. However, the East Mersea foreshore is famous for preserving Pleistocene deposits, especially relating to the Ipswichian Interglacial, e.g. the Hippo Site (Boreham & Wynton 2020), and it is conceivable the project may also produce evidence of other periods. If so, this should also be recorded. Historic England has a budget of £10,000 - £15,000 ex VAT for this project.