Bath Archaeological Trust has closed its excavation unit. A statement on its website says: 'Bath Archaeology has decided to cease providing professional archaeological services to the construction industry and related spheres,' although it will continue charitable and educational work. BAT was formed in 1977 and has worked as a professional unit in south and west England for the past twenty years. One of its largest recent jobs was the Bath Spa project for Bath and North East Somerset Council that started in 1998. It was hoped to publish the site in 2005, and a review of funding for the project was taking place late last year.

BAT never recovered from a loss of UKP130,000 four years ago compounded by a further loss of UKP100,000 over the following two years. The past five years saw annual income halve from UKP460,000 to UKP220,000. Many archaeologists have worked for BAT and there were five permanent staff. Peter Davenport, the former Director of Excavations, is now at Oxford Archaeology.

The Company Secretary Stephen Bird told The Digger: 'BAT found itself poorly positioned between the big units with large critical mass and economies of scale and the very small or individual operators with very low overheads. The Trustees took the decision, in consultation with staff, to withdraw from commercial archaeology.'

Web links :

BAT website