January 31, 2019|Reports

“A Roman Service Station ?” Jeremy Clutterbuck of Cotswold Archaeology

A cold, damp January evening is not the most inviting time to go out but the Houghton Room was full to capacity on January 22nd to hear Jeremy Clutterbuck talk about Cotswold Archaeology’s exciting finds on the Glebe field (behind School Road). A planned open day last year had to be cancelled due to site conditions so Wickham History Society were delighted Jeremy was able to come to talk about their findings.

The archaeologists are on site until the end of January and then need several months to analyse and date their findings so this is still work in progress. Jeremy was able to report that they have found evidence of a Wickham “Roman motorway service station” built alongside the Roman road from Chichester to Winchester and Bitterne. It looks as though the Roman road over the Glebe may have finally been traced to the north of the previously assumed route. Post holes and other site evidence suggests there were a series of commercial/industrial buildings alongside the road here, including kilns and a possible malthouse. Items found on site, including well preserved pottery, coins and flints from the Neolithic period, are now being studied and dated by the team.

Jeremy will return to give an updated report – possibly with some of the finds from the excavation – to our meeting on Tuesday 24th September.

In the meantime you can follow progress of Wickham’s archaeological investigations on the Cotswold Archaeology site: Cotswold Archeaology