| Summary: | This report presents results of the strategic condition field survey of the Baker's Hole listed Palaeolithic ancient monument and Quaternary Site of special Scientific Interest. This survey was carried out in response to the recognition that its poor condition placed its survival at risk, and it was placed on the Monuments at risk register in 2013.
Work was carried out in two parts of the site, Areas B and F. The survey has established that important deposits are exposed and very vulnerable to rapid further deterioration in Area B, and urgent remedial action is required to halt the ongoing deterioration. It is recommended that the currently-exposed old archaeological trenches in Area B are backfilled as soon as possible with Thanet Sand.
Once this remedial action has taken place, then there is more time to consider longer-term options for the future management of the site, and in particular Area B. Three options are put forward for discussion (Section 5.2 of the report):
1 - a substantial field investigation to study the site properly and preserve it by record before its unavoidable further deterioration
2 - a minor investment in tidying it up so that it is less of an eyesore, and provides some information that promotes understanding and appreciation of the Palaeolithic/Quaternary heritage
3 - a major investment (perhaps in conjunction with other development plans in the Ebbsfleet area, particularly the proposed Paramount Theme Park and the Ebbsfleet Garden City) in turning the site into a flagship visitor centre for the British Palaeolithic, focusing not just on the evidence from the site itself, but also referencing other nationally important regional remains such as the Swanscombe skull, the Ebbsfleet elephant butchery site and newly-discovered Final Palaeolithic occupation.
At Area F, it was established that the exposed sediments are all of recent origin, and therefore there is no immediate concern about deterioration of important remains. In the longer-term, root growth from the new tree planting at its southern end may impact upon natural sediments with important Palaeolithic remains that are known to be present there.
There remain several priorities for further investigation at the site, that relate (a) to increasing understanding of the distribution, character and importance of surviving natural deposits, and (b) to contributing to wider Palaeolithic research. These are listed in the final section of this report (Section 5.3). |
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