Shoot three scene setter

The time

Today: Tuesday 8 May 2001 -The Time Team starts its investigations on a joint Army, Navy and Air Force base north of London (this one isn’t even on a road map!). This time the archaeology could take the Team back seven or eight centuries.

Then: Medieval Britain - The people that lived here conducted a basic and dedicated life on what was an economically important and powerful settlement. There was also something quite revolutionary and scandalous about how they lived.

The place

Today this place is a centre of activity for the armed forces. The very latest in cutting edge technology and training is the order of the day. Time Team has been exclusively invited onto the base by a top Brigadier to establish the history and archaeology of what used to occupy the site.

The base has some outstanding examples of medieval buildings still standing within its perimeter. Can the Team establish the full extent of the settlement, what was going on here, and whether there are more buildings to discover?

The means

The Team will be using the latest techniques and equipment (together with a few tricks used by the armed forces) to discover what was happening on this site 700 years ago. This period is a favourite for Mick Aston and Time Team digger and researcher Jenni Butterworth, so their knowledge will be a useful resource for the rest of the Team.

It’s Shoot Three already! And after the Bronze Age and Roman periods of the last two shoots, the Team can’t wait to get going on this one.