News from the City

Latest News: 2000 Year Old Settlement Found Just off Bath Road

The Newport Street excavation is now complete and the process of analysing the results has begun. The site revealed an extensive and well preserved late medieval and early post-medieval landscape of houses and industrial activity, with a strong emphasis on the cloth industry. Surprisingly, occupation along Newport Street itself seems to have started relatively late in the medieval period, but the street was preceded by a Roman road on a similar alignment, presumably leading to a river crossing on the same site as the medieval bridge.

The development of the Royal Worcester site has received planning consent, and further investigation of the site is planned over the coming months.

At Diglis, where development is already underway, a detailed assessment of the results of previous borehole surveys has led to a new series of boreholes being undertaken for archaeological purposes, to investigate probable buried channels of the Severn and Frog Brook which cross the site.

Preparatory work has begun on a strategic project for the Worcester battlefield (1642 and 1651). Proposals are being developed for archaeological and landscape surveys to improve our understanding of the battles and the Civil War defences, and for improved access to and interpretation of the battle.  

The survey of the former rackets court in Sansome Walk ('Lamb's Warehouse') has provided detailed information on the development of the site. The original open court was built after 1845 and rebuilt in 1861. The report is available on the developer's website ( www.courtp.co.uk ). Another early sports building has recently been recognised in Worcester; the cricket pavilion at Kay's ground on Bransford Road was built by Worcestershire County Cricket Club in 1875 and is one of the earliest purpose-built examples in existence.

An assessment of a site at 24-30 Diglis Road identified 19 th century stables and boundary walls associated with a canalside yard. Evaluation at the 17 th century execution site at Perrypoint, Red Hill, revealed a large posthole but no burials.

Archaeological work tends to be cyclical, and February 2006 was our busiest month ever for evaluations, with work at 8 different sites, from the western edge of the city to the east. While not all reports are complete yet, results have included Roman remains at The Butts and Trotshill, and evidence of the Civil War defensive refurbishment at Angel Place.

We are now gearing up for this year's excavations at The Commandery (20 June to 30 July). Anyone interested in participating in the excavation or finds processing should contact Mo or Carol at Worcestershire Historic Environment and Archaeology Service (01905 855455) between 9.30 and 12.20 Monday-Friday. As part of the study of the standing buildings, a detailed dendrochronological survey is about to start.

The consultation draft of the Conservation Management Plan for the City Walls should be published by the time you read this. For a digital copy contact archaeology@cityofworcester.gov.uk . If you would like a paper copy call James Dinn or Sheena Payne (contact details below).

Development of our new Supplementary Planning Document on Archaeology and the historic environment is now underway, and there will be a public consultation event in late Spring. To receive details of this, contact James Dinn or Sheena Payne.

The city archaeology office has moved from the Commandery. Our new contact details are:

Archaeological Service
Worcester City Council
26 The Butts
Worcester
WR1 3PA

Tel: 01905 721132 (James Dinn, Archaeological Officer)
01905 721133 (Sheena Payne, Historic Environment Record Officer)

Fax: 01905 722454