For several years, it has been commonplace to see archaeologists exploring the fields to either side of the A47 between Wansford and Sutton. They have been investigating and recording in advance of the imminent realignment and upgrade of the road to a dual-carriageway.
We have long known this area to have an interesting history. The route itself, skirting the northern edge of the Nene Valley, is broadly on the alignment of a Roman road. There is a scheduled monument to the west of the old Wansford Road station comprising a Bronze Age barrow cemetery together with pits and a pit alignment. A 1970s dig near Sacrewell suggested a Roman villa, and 4th century iron workings.
A few details of the recent work are now at last starting to emerge. Maybe we can begin to move on from the rumour and hearsay of the past 7 years.
There have been multiple phases to the work. In 2017 a magnetometry survey was conducted by Headland Archaeology over the scheduled site. This accurately located the features previously known from aerial photographs and helped in deciding the route of the new road.
In 2020 Cotswold Archaeology excavated 116 trenches and archaeological remains were identified across the whole site area. This triggered more extensive excavations in 2023 and 2024 by Headland. The results of this more recent work have yet to be published.
Map showing the areas affected by the road building scheme
All but one of the 14 targeted excavation areas revealed archaeological features and, in many cases, these will add significantly to our understanding of the area. Close to the A1 junction, the east-west Roman road was found with an average width of 3.3m, with wheel ruts 1.5m apart. The road curved round an enclosed cemetery which contained 14 inhumation graves (and a further 7 located outside). Nearby were the fringes of the Roman villa complex.
Some of the burials were covered with stone slabs and one interment lay within a stone sarcophagus encased in gypsum plaster and with a capping stone placed on top.
The central Roman stone coffin weighing over 750kg
Image Credit – Headland Archaeology
Goods found in a neighbouring grave, belonging to a young female adult, included over 200 beads, rings, bracelets, silver earrings, and beakers
Image Credit – BBC
Further to the east, excavations found more traces of the Roman road as well as multiple boundary systems, pits and ditches. A round house suggesting an Iron Age settlement was also discovered. Closer to Sutton there was a Roman kiln, with nearby kiln bars and pottery, while a substantial ring ditch points to prehistoric activity.
Aerial photo at top of page:
Excavation near Wansford, Feb 2024. Image Credit – Rex Gibson
