Excavation 2023

2023’s excavation took place between the 3rd July – 12th July.

Who was involved: A small team of world-class archaeologists, volunteers, students, and international veterans and serving personnel including Ukrainian, German, Dutch, Belgian and British veterans.

Where: We returned to Hougoumont, the site of our first excavation in 2015, to explore an area south of the Chateauwhich was once a dense woodland and would have been on the path of the French approach to the farmhouse.

What did we find:

Our excavation uncovered the remains of a small chapel in what was once the woods beyond Hougoumont, which was previously only known from the 1777 Ferraris map of the area. Impacted musket balls which still contained traces of brick dust, suggesting that the chapel was still standing during the battle and was fired upon. Nearby, we discovered a quarry, containing a French gunflint and buckle, suggesting that a French soldier used the feature in the landscape as cover while under fire.

Read more about our discoveries in our Dig Diaries below!