Annual dig returns

AN archaeological dig will take place in Sonning Common from Monday.

Members of the Berkshire Archaeological Society will be excavating some of the lawns at the Johnson Matthey research centre in Blounts Court Road.

The group, which has been digging at the site annually since 2013, will be working there until May 13.

In 2016 they found remains of what could have been a medieval chapel. Encaustic tiles were unearthed, which could have been part of the floor of the building.

The project has been spearheaded by Nigel Spencer, who worked for Johnson Matthey from 1995 to 2013 and wrote a book about the history of Blounts Court.

When he retired he was able to spend more time on his passion for archaeology and his former workplace was an ideal location.

Johnson Matthey, a sustainable technologies company which took over the site in the Sixties, is supporting the dig.