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WARWICKSHIRE HISTORIC ENVIRONMENT RECORD
Information for record number WA520
Site Name and
Summary
The remains of a series of timber and stone buildings of Roman date
were found during an excavation. A road and a ditch were also
found. The site was located to the east of Bleachfield Street,
Alcester.
Type:
Period:
Building, Road, Ditch
Romano-British (43 AD - 409 AD)
Location
Parish:
District:
Grid Reference:
Alcester
Stratford on Avon, Warwickshire
SP 08 57
Level of Protection
Old SMR PrefRef Monument
Description
Source Number
1 1970: Construction of a flood barrier to the E of Bleachfield Street resulted in an area
c152m by 9 to 24m being stripped. An area about 9m square was excavated revealing a
Roman road 4.3m wide running SW from the Stratford-Droitwich road towards the river
crossing at Oversley Mill. The road was probably a 'bypass' around Alcester's S industrial
suburbs. Traces of at least two phases of timber buildings survived along the W edge of the
road. These were destroyed, the road resurfaced and a roadside ditch dug some time before
the C4. Early in the C4 the ditch was filled in and buildings with stone footings erected along
the street line. Similar buildings were erected E of the road. These were succeeded by a
timber erection of uncertain date. Traces of stone buildings were found to the S of the area.
2 Included in Alcester sites list.
Sources
Source No:
Source Type:
Title:
Author/Originator:
Date:
Page Number:
Volume/Sheet:
2
Bibliographic reference
WM
PJB
Source No:
Source Type:
Title:
Author/Originator:
Date:
Page Number:
Volume/Sheet:
1
Serial
WMANS no 13 (1970)
Rahtz, P (ed)
1970
Word or Phrase
WM
Description
Warwickshire Museum Aerial Photograph Collection. A collection of
oblique and vertical aerial photographs and taken by various
No 45
Roman Alcester
13
All Information (c) Warwickshire County Council
WMANS
Excavation (also
known as 'digging')
organisations and individuals, including the Royal Airforce, The Potato
Board, Warwickshire Museum. The collection is held at the
Warwickshire Sites and Monuments Record.
West Midlands Archaeological News Sheet, a publication that was
produced each year, this later became West Midlands Archaeology.
The West Midlands Arcaheological News Sheet contains reports
about archaeological work that was carried out in the West Midlands
region in the previous year. It includes information about sites dating
from the Prehistoric to the Post Medieval periods. It was produced
the Department of Extramural Studies at Birmingham University.
Copies are held at the Warwickshire Sites and Monuments Record.
Archaeologists excavate sites so that they can find information and
recover archaeological materials before they are destroyed by
erosion, construction or changes in land-use.
on how complicated and widespread the archaeological deposits are,
excavation can be done by hand or with heavy machinery.
Archaeologists may excavate a site in a number of ways; either by
open area excavation, by digging a test pit or a trial trench.[more]
important part of any archaeological excavation is the recording of
artefacts and deposits with measurements, plans and photographs.
Archaeologists are just as interested in finding information about the
context of artefacts as they are in the artefacts themselves.
an excavation, archaeologists will recover many kinds of samples. In
addition to recording common artefacts, such as pieces of pottery,
archaeologists take environmental samples. This is done so that they
can find other materials such as pollen, plant parts, human and animal
bone, and shell.
Roman
About 43 AD to 409 AD (the 1st century AD to the 5th century AD)
Roman period comes after the Iron Age and before the Saxon period.
Roman period in Britain began in 43 AD when a Roman commander
called Aulus Plautius invaded the south coast, near Kent. There were
a series of skirmishes with the native Britons, who were defeated. In
the months that followed, more Roman troops arrived and slowly
moved westwards and northwards.[more]
AD 47 they had gone as far southwest as Cornwall, as far west as the
Welsh Border and as far north as the Humber. Although there was
some conflict with the British tribes, native Britons gradually adopted
some aspects of the Roman way of life.
Romans are well known for their ability to organise building on a large
scale. Because many of their buildings were made of stone, often
with tile rooves, the remains survive well in many places. The Roman
period is the earliest period from which there is documentary
evidence, albeit in small quantities, and this also helps us to find out
how they lived.
have discovered evidence of the Romans in many different parts of
Warwickshire. Archaeological sites include settlements at Tiddington
and Tripontium, the Roman towns of Chesterton and Alcester, and
Roman forts at Mancetter and The Lunt at Baginton. Many Roman
objects, such as coins, pots and brooches have been found in the
county. Some of them were imported from elsewhere in the Roman
Empire. The major Roman roads known as the Fosse Way, Ryknield
Street and Watling Street all run through Warwickshire.
SITE
Unclassifiable site with minimal information. Specify site type
wherever possible.
A structure with a roof to provide shelter from the weather for
occupants or contents. Use specific type where known.
Use only where stone is natural or where there is no indication of
BUILDING
STONE
All Information (c) Warwickshire County Council
MILL
SUBURB
ROAD
INDUSTRIAL
BLEACHFIELD
DITCH
BARRIER
SQUARE
function.
A factory used for processing raw materials. Use more specific mill
type where known. See also TEXTILE MILL, for more narrow terms.
A largely residential area on the outskirts of a town or city.
A way between different places, used by horses, travellers on foot and
vehicles.
This is the top term for the class. See INDUSTRIAL Class List for
narrow terms.
Large field or yard used to lay fabrics out ready for bleaching.
A long and narrow hollow or trench dug in the ground, often used to
carry water though it may be dry for much of the year.
An obstruction, usually manmade, which is used to restrict or prevent
access to a settlement, building or area of land. Use more specific
type where known.
An open space or area, usually square in plan, in a town or city,
enclosed by residential and/or commercial buildings, frequently
containing a garden or laid out with trees.
All Information (c) Warwickshire County Council