CAU 50 — Biennial Cornwall Archaeological Society Conference
CAU 50 — Biennial Cornwall Archaeological Society Conference
Public Rooms, Liskeard, and online via Zoom — Saturday 17 October 2026.
This conference celebrates 50 years of the Cornwall Archaeological Unit (CAU), founded in 1975, and highlights some of its most important achievements across Cornwall’s archaeology and historic environment.
Until a little over a decade ago, CAU brought together services now delivered by several separate teams, including the Historic Environment Record, planning archaeology and the project team responsible for excavation, survey and assessment. Over five decades CAU has discovered, investigated and helped conserve hundreds of important sites, from prehistoric monuments and hillforts to Roman forts, rounds, chapels, castles, streamworks and clayworks. Its research and fieldwork have included major projects at sites such as Tintagel, St Michael’s Mount and the Hurlers.
CAU has also played a nationally significant role in archaeological innovation: developing the Sites and Monuments Record that became the HER; extensive upland earthwork survey; archaeological mapping from aerial photography; historic landscape, town and seascape characterisation; countryside heritage advice; and work supporting the nomination of the Cornwall and West Devon Mining Landscape World Heritage Site.
Join us in person or by Zoom to review this work, meet old and new friends, and celebrate CAU at 50. Lunch is included for those attending in person. There will also be stalls and exhibits.
Programme
- 10:00 — Arrive and register
- 10:15 — Introductions and morning chair: Pete Herring (President, CAS)
- 10:30 — The CAU story — Nick Johnson (Former Head of CAU)
- 11:20 — ‘Granfer built that…’ — the development of Countryside Heritage Advice — Ann Reynolds (Cornwall Council)
- 11:40 — Realising significance: Planning & Designation — Cathy Parkes (CAU)
- 12:10 — Archaeology & development — Sean Taylor & Lucy Osborne/Laura Ratcliffe-Warren (CAU)
- 13:00 — Lunch (provided)
- 14:00 — Surveying, understanding & characterising Cornwall’s distinctive & diverse landscape — Pete Herring (CAS)
- 15:00 — Conservation & Community — Ann Preston Jones (CAS) & James Gossip (CAU)
- 15:50 — CAU in the wider archaeological world — Ian Morrison (Historic England)
Tickets: £15 including lunch; £10 for those on means-tested benefits or attending by Zoom.
Book in-person attendance via Ticket Tailor
Book Zoom attendance via Ticket Tailor
The programme gives a 10:00 AM arrival time and a final listed session beginning at 3:50 PM; no formal finishing time is stated.