Oldest carved wood in Britain returns to West Berkshire

The oldest carved wood in Britain, found during a building project in the parish of Boxford in West Berkshire, is safely in the care of the West Berkshire Museum collection and on display for everyone to see.

The large piece of well-preserved oak was discovered by chance during the construction of a workshop in 2019.

Deep trenches were being dug for the foundations approximately 1.5 metres (5 feet) below the surface, and contractors retrieved the waterlogged wood from a layer of rich peat. 

The landowner Derek Fawcett noticed unusual markings on the object and contacted West Berkshire Council's archaeologists. The wood was taken to Historic England's research facilities for scientific analysis, although the pandemic meant that work was delayed and for a while, the timber remained stored fully submerged in a tank.

Laser scanning and archaeological illustration showed regular cut grooves and signs of working on several different sides. Two different dating techniques were eventually applied. Dendrochronology, or tree-ring dating, could not establish a match for the sequence seen in the timber, but radiocarbon measurements were successfully obtained from two single annual tree-rings.

In 2023 Historic England revealed that the Boxford timber was more than 6,000 years old - making it the oldest decoratively carved wood in Britain. There is a 95% probability that the final ring formed in 4640 BC - 4605 BC. It dates from the end of the Mesolithic period (Middle Stone Age), when people were changing from hunting and gathering their food to a more settled lifestyle. The meaning behind the markings on this piece of timber is not known, but they are reminiscent of the decoration seen in early Neolithic pottery.

Due to the national significance of the timber, Historic England undertook its conservation through impregnation with a waxy material called polyethylene glycol, followed by freeze-drying. Once this lengthy process was complete, arrangements could be made for the wood to be transported back to West Berkshire.

At the time of discovery, the piece of carved oak was 100 cm by 42cm by 20cm. The timber is now slightly smaller due to the samples taken for dating, so 90cm by 42cm by 20cm. Over 20kg of water were removed during the conservation process.

Councillor Nigel Foot, West Berkshire's Executive Member for Culture, Leisure, Sport and Countryside, says,

"It is hard to overstate the international significance of the Boxford wood carving. To find this perfectly preserved piece of wood that has lain in the peat at Boxford for six thousand years, is remarkable.

"Well done to Mr Fawcett for recovering it and to our Archaeologist for taking it to Historic England for investigation. Of course, we are thrilled to be able to display the wooden carving in the West Berkshire Museum, just five miles from Boxford, where it had been resting for all those years."

West Berkshire Museum is working with the Boxford Heritage Centre to arrange a loan of the timber in the future. In the meantime, you can see this fascinating find in the West Berkshire Museum in Newbury, which is open Wednesday - Sunday, 10am to 4pm.  Entry is free, but donations are welcomed.