E-mail: m.town@nparchaeology.co.uk

Matthew Town joined the company in April 2005. His primary responsibility is to complete a full write-up of the English Heritage funded Phase III archaeological works at the Nenthead Mines, with a view to bringing these, and all subsequent works, to publication. A preliminary draft for part of the mines has now been completed, and work continues on this project. Matthew has also been instrumental in setting up a field school at the mines, the Nent Valley Archaeological Research Project, which began in 2006; the results of the works undertaken by the school will be made available through further publication, and the funding generated will be used to aid in the restoration of the site.

In addition, Matthew is actively involved in the commercial projects undertaken by the company. He is responsible for the Newcastle, Manchester, and Durham offices, and manages the case-work which both offices generate, in addition to undertaking some of the work himself. Current projects underway include: extensive evaluation works at Carlisle Airport,, measured survey of a 19th century crypt n Sunderland, and landscape survey in Co, Durham. He is also the acting landscape consultant for the Bassenthwaite Lakes project in the Lake District.

Matthew began his career in archaeology working as a volunteer on the excavation of a Civil War cemetery in Oxfordshire at age 16; he went on to volunteer on a number of sites after this, which instilled in him a passion for the subject. He began his education at Durham University, and completed his studies at Sheffield University, graduating in 1995. He then undertook a Masters course in Landscape Archaeology, for which he gained a distinction in 1997. His career in commercial archaeology began with English Heritage, working on the excavations at Birdoswald Fort on Hadrian’s Wall in Cumbria; he went on to work on a further four phases of works at the fort over subsequent years, as well as working at Whitby Abbey (later as a supervisor) and in Warwickshire for the organisation. He went on to work as a site assistant for a number of different archaeological units, gaining extensive knowledge in archaeology of different periods, before becoming a supervisor for Lancaster University Archaeological Unit in 1999. In 2001, he went to work in Italy for 6 months on archaeological excavations around Milan, before returning in 2002; he then worked as a supervisor, and subsequently a project officer, on pipeline projects in Essex and Norfolk for Network Archaeology. In 2003, he was offered, and accepted, a Project Manager position with Norfolk Archaeological Unit. He went on to run a 2.4ha excavation in Norfolk for eleven months, prior to gravel extraction.

He decided to relocate to the north of England in 2004, working as a supervisor for Oxford Archaeology North, before accepting his current position in 2005. His interests include prehistoric, post-medieval and industrial archaeology, and landscape survey. He holds a contractors safety passport, a confined spaces training certificate, a first aid certificate, and a banksman certificate.