Archaeology
Archaeology is about telling stories: we make observations, we interpret them, we turn our interpretations into stories. We make more observations.
My archaeological career has taken me from Piercebridge Roman fort (my very first excavation whilst still at school) to Liverpool University (1975 to 1981), Southampton City Museums (1982 to 1989), City of York Council (1989 to 2019), and since 2022 as an independent archaeologist and consultant.
As an archaeological consultant, I work through Heritage Adventures Ltd to provide consultancy and expert witness services to a range of public, third sector and private sector clients including O'Neill Associates, Helmsley Securities, Evans of Leeds, National Science Museum, and the University of York.
I have been closely involved with the York World Heritage Steering Group since 2006. I have taken a leading role in developing the technical documents that have led to the City of York Historic Urban Core being added to the United Kingdom Tentative List of World Heritage Sites in 2023.
I have developed and promoted community archaeology projects throughout my career. The latest project, the Scarborough Big Dig (2021 to date), has provided nearly 1200 primary school children and 200 adult the opportunity to excavate in Paradise, Scarborough Old Town. The project was nominated for Community Archaeology Project of the Year Award in 2025.
What the Expert says about Archaeology:
Eddie Izzard on archaeology
"And they always find in archaeology a series of small walls. Every time, a series of small walls.
Everywhere you go. "We've found a series of small walls, we're very excited! We think this proves they had walls in olden days. They were very small, a series of small wall people."
As an archaeological consultant, I work through Heritage Adventures Ltd to provide consultancy and expert witness services to a range of public, third sector and private sector clients including O'Neill Associates, Helmsley Securities, Evans of Leeds, National Science Museum, and the University of York.
I have been closely involved with the York World Heritage Steering Group since 2006. I have taken a leading role in developing the technical documents that have led to the City of York Historic Urban Core being added to the United Kingdom Tentative List of World Heritage Sites in 2023.
I have developed and promoted community archaeology projects throughout my career. The latest project, the Scarborough Big Dig (2021 to date), has provided nearly 1200 primary school children and 200 adult the opportunity to excavate in Paradise, Scarborough Old Town. The project was nominated for Community Archaeology Project of the Year Award in 2025.
What the Expert says about Archaeology:
Eddie Izzard on archaeology
"And they always find in archaeology a series of small walls. Every time, a series of small walls.
Everywhere you go. "We've found a series of small walls, we're very excited! We think this proves they had walls in olden days. They were very small, a series of small wall people."