Archaeology

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HS2’s archaeology programme is a once-in-a-generation opportunity that will allow us to reveal over 10,000 years of British history, covering the Prehistoric, Romano-British, Anglo-Saxon and Medieval periods as well as the Industrial Revolution and World War Two.

The sheer scale of possible discoveries, the geographical span of the project and the vast range of our history to be unearthed makes HS2’s historic environment programme a unique opportunity to tell the story of Britain, its past and future.

Key sites

There are a number of archaeological sites that we will be exploring across the county. These include:

· a prehistoric and Romano-British settlement in Offchurch

· the medieval and Tudor Coleshill Hall

· the remains of a medieval village in Milburn

· the Roman Fosse Way

Near Offchurch, archaeologists are hoping to discover more about a late prehistoric and Romano-British settlement that has been identified during initial surveys. A geophysical survey of the site has revealed what appears to be evidence of a sizeable settlement with houses and roads visible. This site will allow archaeologists to learn more about the character and nature of a rural settlement in the late prehistoric and Romano-British periods and provides a window on rural life in Warwickshire over 1500 years ago.

At Coleshill, archaeologists have an opportunity to explore the remains of the medieval and Tudor Hall, complete with a moat and possible remains of landscape gardens, set within a wider deer park. The former stable block from the Tudor mansion is still in place and provides a further chance to understand this site. The site will enable archaeologists and historians to learn more about medieval and Tudor manor houses and their associated parks and gardens and can inform their understanding of elite life during these periods.

Progress so far

At the far south of the West Midlands area, near Southam and Long Itchington, we have discovered evidence of an early agricultural settlement dating to the Iron Age (approx. 600BC to 44AD). Such small settlements consisted of circular dwellings (Round Houses) with a series of enclosure ditches to pen in the animals and also to provide some protection to the settlement. Several of these small prehistoric farmsteads have been discovered in Warwickshire by HS2’s archaeologists.

Further north towards the River Leam, near the village of Offchurch, the evaluation has uncovered evidence of a large Romano-British settlement (approx. 44AD to 410AD) overlooking the meandering river to the south and west, and surrounded by a large single circular ditch. Just to the north of this large Roman settlement there appears to be the remains of a wider Iron Age agricultural hinterland consisting of field boundaries, enclosures and track ways. This exciting discovery is located fairly close to the line of the Roman road, the Fosse Way, which traverses west to east, from Cirencester to Leicester, both major Roman towns.

Close to the medieval town of Kenilworth our archaeological evaluations have uncovered evidence of Anglo-Saxon occupation, the features revealed within the trenches have given a glimpse of early medieval settlement activity within this part of the West Midlands. Evidence of such obvious Anglo-Saxon activity is rare, and therefore HS2 will continue to investigate this site in greater detail over the coming months. Further north surrounding the gravel terraces of the River Blythe traces of prehistoric activity can be ascertained through the pits, ditches and enclosures of early human endeavor in shaping the wider landscape, creating field systems and boundaries - thus working the land for food and shelter.

Northern Warwickshire is where the landscape changes becoming much more undulating. A landscape that was once thickly wooded marking the line of the historic Arden Forest along the River Avon and heading north towards Coleshill. This is the site of one of our most exciting and significant discoveries of the evaluation.

Settlement at Coleshill began during the Anglo-Saxon period and denotes over a thousand years of continuous occupation in and around the town. Previous archaeological work has shown that prehistoric and Roman activity took place in this area. Therefore, HS2’s archaeological works have centred on the site of the post medieval moat and house situated just to the west of Coleshill. The geophysical and LiDAR surveys, as well as the trial trenches have revealed evidence of a large octagonal moat with the remains of a late medieval house located on a platform within the centre of the moat. The footprint of an Elizabethan and Tudor House and formal gardens have been identified in our archaeological surveys.

Surrounding the site at Coleshill, the archaeologists have found significant evidence of an earlier prehistoric landscape complete with Bronze Age, Iron Age and Romano-British features, describing an ancient hinterland that was affected by human activity and settlements over many millennia. This site at Coleshill represents potential significant discoveries that may change our views of how prehistoric and historic communities lived throughout this section of the West Midlands. This is only the first phase of HS2’s overall archaeological investigations programme, which will hopefully fill in some of the gaps in our knowledge of England’s rich and varied heritage.

You can find out more about HS2’s historic environment programme by clicking here.