Research & Publications:
I am currently completing my PhD, entitled ‘Shipwreck Shores: Wrecking and Coastal Cultures of Britain and Sweden 1700-1850‘, between the universities of Portsmouth (UK) and Högskolan i Halmstad (SE) in a new split-site programme. I’ve spent the last 3-4 years travelling between the two countries and attending international conferences to further develop my research.
In 2019 I graduated with a dual honors undergraduate degree in history and archaeology and continued at the University of Southampton to receive a masters degree in maritime archaeology the following year. My masters dissertation was produced using data from the Black Sea MAP project, looking at the use of deep-water photogrammetry and extrapolating data of a late Roman cargo vessel. I published a paper related to this work, supported by the Honor Frost Foundation, in 2023.
In 2024 I was delighted to invited to write a chapter to be included within ‘Maritime Britain in the 21st Century‘, produced by the Royal Navy Strategic Studies Centre, which, according to the First Sea Lord’s foreword, intended to “catalyse a renewed national conversation about Britain and the sea”. My contribution build on previous work that challenged coastal maritime materiality and public interaction with it. I also contribute to ‘The Big Ask‘ column in The Council on Geostrategy’s online magazine.
Societies & Socials:
I am an active member within several academic societies, including the Society of Nautical Research, where I serve on the Research & Programmes committee and the judging panel for the Anderson Medal book prize. Alongside this, I am the convener for the society’s Winter Lecture Series and the production coordinator and publicist for the Mariner’s Mirror Podcast.
In 2025, I was delighted to be nominated to the council of the Navy Records Society to serve as Social Media Editor and assist in the management of content on the society’s online magazine and blog.
I am continuing to grow my own online presence and am open to collaborative opportunities. As an example of an upcoming digital series, I have been working with Hampshire Cultural Trust to support the digital outreach and promotion of their archival collections. Watch this space!
Other History & Archaeology Projects:
I have previously worked at Cambridge (University) Archaeological Unit, Wessex Archaeology and L-P: Archaeology (now MOLA) since first graduating university. One of the largest projects I have worked on was the HS2 site of ST Mary’s church in Buckinghamshire, which revealed unexpected Roman remains and was featured on the BBC’s Digging for Britain. I was the assistant community archaeologist for the excavation and helped to create an on-site museum and develop a programme of outreach and training (including CifA accredited courses).
As a research assistant to the Railway Work, Life & Death (RWLD) project, I have launched several large historic datasets of onto a free online platform, including materials produced in coordination with the RMT Union and the National Archives.
I have also worked with the University of Portsmouth’s Heritage Hub, co-creating a digital display for the Royal Submarine Museum in Gosport. This project brought together new and existing research from archives and archaeological investigations into the last two surviving ‘Holland Class’ submarines – the first class of submarine in the British Royal Navy – as part of the Towards a National Collection ‘Unpath’ed Waters’ Project.
Daisy Turnbull 
Hello you ‘TTD’! :o) We met during three day-courses at the medieval St Mary’s Church dig near Stoke Mandeville this summer. I thought of you this week, since if that site this month had been under water, then maybe it could have been you who found those three magnificent Roman busts! Nevermind. It appears that the 1800s rusted up padlock that my daughter found in her garden in Stone is a smokehouse lock. I like your underwater profile pic here; reminds me of how much I loved diving. And there’s no mistaking ‘those eyes’ even behind a mask! I hope your studies are going well, and that you’re staying healthy and happy. All the best, Al Shriver (FWIW, on FB as ‘BigAl Soxfordshire’ [sic])
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Thank you so much and so sorry I have only just seen this!! hope you are all well – I am now in the final year of my PhD and found myself with a little time to log back into my own account after managing several other archaeology blogs and it’s made my day seeing this comment!! It was such an amazing site and such fabulous Roman Busts – we were delighted with the finds and that its had an impact on our wider understanding of churches in the area! Hope you still have a keen interest in archaeology and history. All the best!!
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