The Canterbury Archaeological Trust is the County’s largest and most experienced archaeological organisation, and has provided a high quality professional service to a wide range of businesses, individuals, local government and heritage organisations for thirty years.

With strong links in the local community, the Trust is committed to providing a cost-effective professional service for all archaeological requirements, from preliminary advice and assessment through to field survey, excavation and analysis.

Employing around 60 full-time staff at three locations within the county, we offer a ‘one-stop’ solution to our client’s archaeological needs, from the very small to the very large.

This section of our website outlines the range of services we offer and details our commitment to providing the best possible service to our clients.

For more information about the Canterbury Archaeological Trust, or to discuss potential solutions to archaeological issues, please contact us on 01227 462 062
or e-mail admin@canterburytrust.co.uk

Local Expertise

The Canterbury Archaeological Trust is Kent’s premier archaeological organisation, with decades of experience of the geology, topology and archaeology of the county.

By operating solely within the boundaries of Kent, we have developed extensive expertise in the specific issues concerning archaeology in the area, allowing us to provide the best possible service and minimising unexpected problems.

Dependability

Managing development projects requires a realistic assessment of the time needed to do a job and associated costs. The Trust is committed to providing just that; our local expertise and experience allows us to present a firm commitment to undertake work to a detailed specification on time and within budget.

Thirty Years’ Experience

The Canterbury Archaeological Trust was incorporated as a registered charity in 1975. Since that time the company has conducted thousands of archaeological investigations, from the smallest watching brief to the largest urban excavation ever undertaken in Kent. Working alongside clients such as Land Securities, Kent County Council, Eurotunnel and Abbey Homes, the Trust has an unrivalled track record in providing high quality archaeological services within the county.

As a long established local organisation the Trust has developed strong links with local government, museum services, universities and other educational establishments within the county, enhancing the breadth of expertise and experience we can draw on when offering advice.

Working Partnerships

The Trust is here to help: we are committed to providing high-quality, cost-effective solutions to our client’s needs.

To achieve this it is critical that we understand the requirements of our clients and that our clients are fully apprised of the work we are undertaking on their behalf. To this end a named person is designated to oversee each and every piece of work we do, and to act as a contact point to listen to and communicate with our client. We routinely provide regular written reports on the progress of long-running projects to further enhance this flow of information.

Part of the Community

The Trust prides itself on being an integral part of the community of Kent. Over the last three decades, local citizens have been accustomed to visiting our excavations (over 55,000 people visited the ‘Big Dig’ in Canterbury), writing to us or visiting us with stray finds or questions, attending our numerous public talks and exhibitions or volunteering to help with our many educational initiatives.

This community role is a primary charitable aim of the Trust, supported by the Friends of the Canterbury Archaeological Trust, grants from the Kent Archaeological Society and local government, together with time and expertise given freely by local citizens.

The Trust employs an Education Officer who works closely with the Local Education Authority and provides resources and opportunities for schools throughout the county, helping to introduce Kent’s rich archaeological heritage to new generations of children.

Added Value

The Trust’s commitment to local communities extends to assisting our clients reflect the local heritage in the built environment; a display panel in the waiting room of a doctor’s surgery in Canterbury provides a novel talking point; the Bronze Age gallery at Dover museum has won several national and international awards; archaeological motifs provide the inspiration for the artwork decorating the slabs of Whitefriars Square in Canterbury; information boards scattered across the city attract locals and visitors alike.

Full colour information leaflets, distributed to local residents during our excavations at Holborough, Bredgar, Canterbury and elsewhere have proved very popular, explaining what is happening and what has been discovered.

Integrity

Our staff are all trained professional archaeologists, several of them internationally acknowledged experts in their field.

Discoveries made as a result of the Trust’s work are made known to our professional colleagues, academic researchers and students through a range of academic publications, presentations at conferences, museum exhibitions and via our website. The Trust publishes its own series of academic monographs and occasional papers, in addition to working with other publishers such as English Heritage, Oxbow Books and the Kent Archaeological Society. Its work is also presented in articles and papers in specialist journals as well as the Trust’s annual review Canterbury’s Archaeology. Over 1,000 books and articles have thus far been published, a number of which have won awards for excellence.

Catering for all your needs

In its history the Canterbury Archaeological Trust has dealt with a vast range of archaeological situations, from the smallest watching brief to the largest of large-scale excavations, from the locally pertinent to the internationally unique. We know what is important and what is not, and concentrate our resources on the former. The Trust offers a ‘one-stop’ solution to almost all our client’s archaeological needs.