Figure 1. Excavation revealed the brick foundations of the steps built into the terrace running

along both terraces of the Privy Garden. These were later removed and grassed over. The steps

have now been restored

been deliberately cultivated or they

may be there as the result of the chance

accidents of natural propagation. This

is the point in any reconstruction

project where there has to be a close

integration between what can be

learned from an interpretation of the

physical fabric and the information

provided by contemporary texts or,

better still, the notes and plans and

accounts of the designer.

Garden restoration projects are

expensive and much restoration-led

garden archaeology has been

undertaken by organisations such as

the National Trust at Bidduiph Grange

or English Heritage at Osborne House

on the Isle of Wight, at Kirby Hall,

Audley End and at Chiswick and, of

course, the Historic Royal Palaces at

Hampton Court. The use of garden

archaeology does not have to be

confined to large or prestige sites nor

to a role within restoration schemes;

the excavation of No. 4, The Circle,

Bath by the Bath Archaeological Trust

confirmed the viability of applying a

wider range of techniques to a small

garden of an 18th century terraced

house. This again was an opportunity

generated by a restoration project, but

excavation can just as well be used to

record the evidence of threatened sites,

large or small, or of gardens due to be

lost or substantially disturbed as the

result of development or building

activity. This was what happened, for

example, in the excavation prior to

their partial destruction of a set of

gardens at the Officers Terrace,

Chatham Dockyard. However, the

techniques of archaeological invest-

igation and recording do not have to

used solely in connection with rescue

or restoration projects; they may also

have a vital part to play in securing the

future of a site since, linked with the

management plan. A record of what is

there and a policy decision about what

should be left undisturbed is often just

as important as identifying areas for

change or restoration.

It is always important to assess the

nature of the site and to be clear about

the reasons for requiring an

archaeological survey or assessment.

This in turn helps to select the most

appropriate approach and techniques.

The garden is only one element of

an historic estate; there will usually

also be a park which may have its own

individual identity and carry, for

example, traces of medieval phases

and features predating its redesign as

an ornamental park sometime in the

mid-l8th century. Similarly, many early

gardens, particularly those of formal

layout, incorporated earthworks,

33