Local History

When the States of Guernsey bought land around Guernsey Airport in 2008 an environmental impact survey took place, part of which was an archaeological assessment.

The possible cremation pit

Ten test pits were dug in the area and while eight bore no fruit two produced signs of bronze age life and so were investigated further.

One of the pits contained "stones and distinctive thick black soil" according to Philip de Jersey, the States Archaeology Officer, who was in charge of the dig.

He added: "There's lots of charcoal in it - it's been extensively burnt". He put this down to the area's possible use for "cremations or religious offerings" though without further excavation he was unsure of the exact details.

The serated piece of flint

As well as the possible cremation pit a number of pieces of "standard bronze age stuff" were uncovered including several pieces of pottery and part of a flint blade.

Phillip described the flint as "highly significant" as the stone is only found in Guernsey as pebbles on beaches, so finding it near the airport meant it had to have been taken there, the piece they found also featured a serated edge showing it had been fashioned into a form of knife or saw.

The settlement was estimated to date back to circa 1500 BC, but Phillip added that nothing they found was significant enough to delay any development on the site.