Guildford Fire Station and new insights into the Late Upper Palaeolithic Creswellian of Southern Britain

Journal article

Excavations ahead of construction of a new fire station at Guildford in 2013 revealed a large, homogeneous flint scatter of over 15,000 artefacts, including 235 retouched tools, from an area of c. 36 m², making it one of the densest Late Upper Palaeolithic scatters yet found in southern Britain. Spatial and refitting analyses enabled the identification of two discrete knapping concentrations (C1 and C2) separated by an area where tools were made, used, and discarded. They also revealed the presence of at least three flintknappers on site, including a novice. A chaîne opératoire approach provided further insight into blade production and tool lifecycles, while trace-wear analysis identified damaged projectiles and the processing of both animal and plant materials. Techno-typological analysis of the flint assemblage and Optically Stimulated Luminescence ages place the site in the first half of the Late Glacial (Windermere) Interstadial (c. 14–15,000 BP). Guildford Fire Station shares affinities with other British Creswellian assemblages, showing variation from the classic Late Magdalenian. The potential importance of river networks is signalled in connection with Late Upper Palaeolithic mobility.

Authors: Roberts, A; Hayden, C; Tomasso, S; Rots, V; Cooper, LP

• Publication status: Accepted
• Publisher: Cambridge University Press
• Journal: Proceedings of the Prehistoric Society More from this journal
• Acceptance date: 2026-09-02
• EISSN: 2050-2729
• ISSN: 0079-497X
• Language: English
• Keywords: Magdalenian; Late Upper Palaeolithic; refitting; use-wear; Azilian; Creswellian