A two week excavation of an important Roman site near Sacrewell Farm has just come to an end.
Organised by Dig Ventures, participants came from countries as far afield as the USA, Australia and Germany. The opportunity for local enthusiasts to join was facilitated by the Nibbles learning app.
The site lies just over 3 miles north of Durobrivae, not far from Ermine Street, and with intensive pottery and iron working industries nearby. Previous finds and excavations going as far back as the 19th century have made it clear that there was significant Roman activity across the Sacrewell estate. The A47 excavations of 2024 revealed high status burials with a probable villa site nearby. The 2026 project focused on a field known as Pit Close to the north of Sacrewell Farm where Roman buildings have previously been exposed by an Oundle school dig in the 1920s and the laying of a pipeline in the 1970s.
Three large trenches were opened focusing on potential features identified by geophysical survey.
They each confirmed a Roman presence on the site though one potential target turned out to be a rather more recent horse shoe!
In Trench 2 a deep ditch cut into the cornbrash potentially marked the northern extent of a villa site. Finds included pottery, roof tiles and discarded Roman flooring.
In Trench 1 the team discovered an unusual cremation urn. The hexagonal glass vessel was lifted largely complete for micro excavation and conservation in a lab environment. Alongside was an iron artefact which is not yet conclusively identified.
The Dig Ventures team was led by Nat Jackson. Those who participated were impressed by the professional organisation of the excavation and the team who were very welcoming, fun and supportive. An Open Day on the closing Saturday enabled many people interested in Peterborough archaeology to find out what had been found. There is more to be uncovered and we are all looking forward to a return visit next year.
