We regret to confirm that this year's summer dig on the site of Elsyng Palace in the grounds of Forty Hall has been cancelled.

The Covid-19 situation has unfortunately severely impacted EAS fieldwork this year, also forcing the cancellation of fieldwalking on farms near the Ridgeway and other work elsewhere in the Borough.

This will be the first time in 16 years we haven't done any fieldwork at all in Forty Hall. We hope to resume our research programme in July 2021, and if possible we may try and schedule something on a smaller scale sooner, but this would depend on the currently unpredictable situation changing quite a bit.

As ever, members will be kept up to date via the usual mailing lists.

Keep safe, and we hope to see you in a muddy field before too long!

Jubilee hall has now been closed until further notice; accordingly our lecture programme is also suspended.

A decision has not yet been taken on the July dig in Forty Hall, but it may well be at least delayed until August or September. Members will be updated via the usual mailing list.

AGM and lecture meetings postponed

Due to the coronavirus situation the decision has been taken to delay the society’s AGM until the lecture meeting on the 15th May and there will not be a meeting on the 3rd April.

Further postponements/cancellations may be made as the situation develops. Information will be added to the EAS website and social media as it becomes available.

You may be aware that Enfield council has suddenly threatened the continuing existence of the first floor of the Dugdale Centre as both a community hub and the base for the main museum displays, office and the whole Local Studies Library.

They have said nothing about where the latter would move to and it looks like we would entirely loose the museum’s permanent displays. This could effectively be the end of both Museum and Local Studies Library.

The EAS committee is urgently seeking a meeting with the chief executive of the council and making our voice heard, but we need you to complain as loudly as you can as well.

A petition has been started against this at change.org

and or you could protest to your local councillor – to find yours and get in touch with them go to https://new.enfield.gov.uk/services/councillors-and-democracy/

It was an unremarkable but satisfying end to this year's summer dig on the site of Elsyng Palace. After finishing up the few remaining recording jobs this morning, we spent the rest of the afternoon backfilling and returfing trench two.

Don't forget to follow us on twitter and on facebook for updates on post-excavation work, the full results of which will be published in due course in the Society's newsletter later in the year.

Tentative interpretations of the complex features in the west end of trench 2 suggest that the conical feature may be the base of a tall cistern, and the stub of wall next to it possibly a demolished threshold and step leading down to the brick floor. The current hypothesis is that this was associated with one of the palace stables.

Special thanks are due to our members this year, who did a sterling job and endured particularly hostile weather this week. We're especially grateful for the good turnout for backfilling today, which saw us get the job done early for the first time in 15 years!