ABOUT US

Cotswold Archaeology is one of the ten largest archaeological contractors working in Britain. We operate from a base in Cirencester, Gloucestershire, and undertake projects nationally (certainly not just in the Cotswolds!) We were set up in 1989 and since then have grown significantly to have a staff in excess of 80. We now undertake over 200 projects per year.

Most archaeological work is carried out in Britain in advance of development and Cotswold Archaeology is a recognised leader in this field. Visit our services page for more information and case studies. As well as being a limited company Cotswold Archaeology is also an educational charity.

Cotswold Archaeology as an Educational Charity

Cotswold Archaeology was established as an educational charity to advance the education of the public in the subject of archaeology. As a charity we must deliver a public benefit which is widely available to all interested persons. Cotswold Archaeology meets this objective by disseminating the results of our investigations at little or no cost. Our formal published reports are easily available through public lending libraries whilst a large number of our typescript reports, produced mostly in support of planning applications, are increasingly available as pdf downloads at the OASIS website. These publications are mostly designed for the research end of the educational spectrum, but we also believe it important that we communicate our work to a wide range of non-specialists as well, including people with a casual interest in history and archaeology. To this end we undertake numerous talks and other events connected to our projects.

As a charity Cotswold Archaeology is governed by a Board of Trustees. We also maintain a Panel of Academic Advisors to validate our professional activities and publications. Day to day running of the company is undertaken by a team of Senior Managers under the leadership of Chief Executive Neil Holbrook.

Board of Trustees

CA's trustees come from a variety of backgrounds and contribute a broad range of expertise to the management of the company. Some are professional archaeologists, while others have successful careers in business, education and the public sector. Professor Timothy Darvill was a founder trustee in 1989 and has been Chairman since 1992. The trustees are supported in their duties by Company Secretary Richard Drew, a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Secretaries and Administrators.

Panel of Academic Advisors

We created a Panel of Academic Advisors in 2008 to raise the research profile of CA and to validate the archaeological quality of our projects and reports. The panel consists of a wide range of respected archaeologists whose interests and expertise cover the main spheres of CA's work. In particular the panel monitors our publication output and satisfies itself that this is of a consistently high academic and intellectual standard.