Ice age dig temporarily 'frozen'

Thursday 05 January 2017

Ambitious plans to uncover more of the secrets of one of the most important Neolithic sites in Northern Europe have been put on hold because of safety concerns.

Archaeologists have been digging at La Cotte for more than a hundred years and believe the site was in near-continuous use for more than a quarter of a million years. It’s the only site in the British Isles to have produced late Neanderthal fossils. Other significant finds include bones, teeth, and tools. In all, more than 100,000 items have been retrieved.

But getting to the collapsed cave is extremely difficult and precarious. You have to clamber down an exposed and sometimes slippery cliff path that hugs the cliff edge overlooking the bay.

Jersey Heritage wants to continue to explore the site and to also make it more accessible to the public and was recently given a £180,000 grant from the Tourism Development Fund to get on with the work, but complications mean it’s now handing the money back.

The problem is the archaeological work can’t start until a wall is built to protect the cave from the sea, and access to the site is improved, both of which are going to be more difficult than originally anticipated.

A report is now being drafted to include more information on the state of the rock face.

The official explanation for the setback goes on to say: “...it is important to understand the geological mapping of the rock stack as this will lead to a discussion about access and possible viable stabilisation techniques.”

Jersey Heritage Trust has confirmed the likely date for completion of the project is in 2019.