Charmian started worked for the
Ministry of Works as a field archaeologist. She excavated many sites, including
Verulamium (
St Albans) with
Sheppard Frere and Whitefriars, Coventry. Her publication record included excavation reports and monographs, specialist pottery reports, and reports of other finds, mainly focused on sites around
Northamptonshire,
Buckinghamshire, and the Midlands. Excavations carried out in the 1960s on the site of the Carmelite Friary at Coventry,
England, by Charmain, revealed the lost church, of unexpected size and splendour, adjoining the standing cloister E range. It was founded in 1342 by Sir John Poulteney, a pre-eminent merchant and Draper, and Lord Mayor of London. The report by Charmain includes the first detailed examination of the standing E claustral range by the Royal Commission on Historic Monuments, probably the finest medieval friary claustral range to survive in N Europe. This is augmented by historical illustrations, many published for the first time in this report. There is also a study of the exceptionally fine surviving choir stalls, with the arms of several later London mayors, which originally seated up to 90 friars. These were set above acoustic chambers in the choir to amplify their singing. Only three other sets of friary choir stalls are known to exist in Britain. An attempt is made to reconstruct the appearance of the friary in its 10-acre (c.4ha) precinct in the 15th century, including the highly unusual architectural expression of the chapter house, the reredorter and the gate houses. Comparative plans of other Carmelite houses in Britain and
Europe are illustrated for comparison, some for the first time. Woodfield was involved in the discovery and excavation of the
Milton Keynes Hoard in 2000. She was elected as a fellow of the
Society of Antiquaries of London on 27 November 1986. ==Personal life==