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This site is designated as being of national importance and is afforded additional protection. Consult West Berkshire Council's Archaeology team if more information or advice is needed.

Summary

One of several peace camps created during opposition to Cruise missiles at the airbase in the 1980s

Associated Legal Designations or Protected Status

• Registered Park or Garden (II) 1000333: Sandleford Priory

Monument Type(s):

• PEACE CAMP (Late 20th century - Present - 1983 AD to 1991 AD?)

Full Description

A summary of the history of the Women's Library Greenham Common Collection <1> notes that, " In September 1981 a Welsh group of 36 individuals opposed to nuclear power, called Women for Life on Earth, walked 120 miles from their headquarters to raise awareness of this issue and to protest against NATO's decision to site cruise missiles at Greenham Common. On reaching their destination they chained themselves to the perimeter fence and subsequently established a 'peace camp' there which was to remain for another two decades. The 'camp' itself consisted of nine smaller camps: the first was Yellow Gate, established the month after Women for Peace on Earth reached the airbase; others established in 1983 were Green Gate, the nearest to the silos, and the only entirely exclusive women-only camp at all times, the others accepting male visitors during the day; Turquoise Gate; Blue Gate with its new age focus; Pedestrian Gate; Indigo Gate; Violet Gate identified as being religiously focussed; Red Gate known as the artists gate; and Orange Gate. A central core of women lived either full-time or for stretches of time at any one of the gate camps with others staying for various lengths of time" [http://www.londonmet.ac.uk/genesis/ Accessed 01/03/2011].

A programme of work looking at the archaeology of Turquoise Camp was initiated by Southampton University and English Heritage at the start of the 21st century, and subsequently undertaken by the Common Ground Research Group. The site was visited in 2003 by the Group <4> and reported to have been largely intact <7>, and became the focus of the Group's pilot project in February 2004. The project started with some mapping of topography and collection of artefacts exposed on the ground surface; however the sensitivity of the camps to many who had lived there, meant that collection was changed to an in situ survey of protest-related finds <7>. Three accounts of women involved in the Common Ground project were published in a paper taking an autoethnographic view, staying close to the spirit and ethics of its subject of study <8>.

Sources and further reading

Related Monuments

Associated Excavations and Fieldwork

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