Event/Activity EPM260 - Research Excavation at Fort Cumberland (Casements 36 and 37)

A research excavation of the terre-plain above casements 36 and 37 and intervening valley drainage system at Fort Cumberland was carried out by Historic England in 2015. The aim of the work was to investigate the cause of long standing water ingress into the casements of the curtain wall and inform a programme of repairs. Topsoil was machine stripped from an area 8.7m wide (the width of the rampart) and 4.5m wide above the eastern half of casement 36 and the western half of casement 37. The layers and deposits that were excavated formed part of the construction of the ramparts. The excavation concluded that repairs made following Second World War bombing had eroded and as a result rainwater was entering the structure via exposed brickwork.