Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR) Survey of Holy Cross, Crediton

The project so far:

Visit of Jenny Walrond of BBC Spotlight

Pilot survey

We were told in April, 2007 that the Heritage Lottery Fund had awarded Crediton Parochial Church Council (PCC) a grant of £44,100 to search for the site of Crediton’s Saxon Cathedral using ground penetrating radar (GPR).

During the annual flower festival in early June 2007 we were visited by Jenny Walrond of BBC Spotlight South West, who filmed the festival. Jenny was shown around,  was told a great deal about the history of Holy Cross and recorded interviews about the project.

The team from GSB Prospection of Bradford, Yorkshire under the leadership of archaeologist Jimmy Adcock conducted a pilot survey in June (delivering an inaugural talk about the project on 19th June); the main surveys were done in July and August.

Clearing the nave of furniture

Surveying and visit from BBC and Haywards and Queen Elizabeth’s schools

During the surveys pupils from Haywards School and Queen Elizabeth’s Community College listened to talks about the project and life in Saxon England by Jimmy Adcock and Penny Little.

The final report on the surveys was given to a meeting on Tuesday,13th November 2008 by Jimmy Adcock. Copies of this have been widely distributed – it can also be seen in Crediton Library (The report can be obtained in digital form from Keith Barker on payment of postage costs – his address is on the contacts page).

The results of the survey indicate that it is likely that the present church was built on the foundations of the Saxon cathedral, but every archaeologist who has studied them takes the view that the evidence for this is not firm enough to warrant any archaeological intrusion into the body of the church.

Exeter Museum “Finds” Day

Surveying the churchyard

The history sub-committee that has had oversight of the project is considering what future archaeological work, if any, can be done on the project site.

Work is proceeding on a series of illustrated interpretation boards tracing a history of the cathedral, the collegiate church and the parish church. Together these will form a permanent exhibition, to be dedicated in 2009, the 1,100th anniversary of the founding of Crediton Cathedral.

Many more events are planned from now until the Festival of Crediton in 2009 when we hope to give every primary school child in Crediton, Sandford, Copplestone and Yeoford a DVD giving a short history of the church.