Essex County Council’s Field Archaeology Unit (FAU) consists of a team of specialist archaeologists who carry out a wide range of field projects across the county. This includes excavation of sites, surveying, desk based assessment, finds study and buildings recording. The results are published in archaeological journals, such as Essex Archaeology & History and East Anglian Archaeology (both of which are available in the major county libraries).

The FAU undertakes between 60 and 80 projects per year. These vary from half day studies of foundation trenches for a single house to projects that involve excavating several hectares in advance of gravel quarrying.

Many projects derive from the impact of planning proposals on archaeological sites, where an archaeological investigation needs to be carried out before development can take place. In these cases, the work is commissioned by the developer of the site. 

The FAU is a Registered Archaeological Organisation (RAO) of the Institute for Archaeologists (IfA). This means that the FAU meets the IfA’s high professional standards in carrying out archaeological work, both on-site and off-site, and also adheres to the IfA’s code of conduct.

The FAU also undertake research based projects, usually grant aided by English Heritage. A recent example of this is the investigation of the many sites being revealed by tidal erosion along the Essex coast.

Staff from the FAU are available to give lectures and participate in conferences, seminars and workshops.

For information about recent and current projects across the county, download the information sheet.

For more information, contact the Field Archaeology Unit