Information for record number MWA4495:
Alcester Roman Town

Summary	The Roman town of Alcester, originally a fort, which was surrounded by a defensive rampart. The town comprised an industrial zone in the Birch Abbey area, a residential area to the east, and several cemeteries.

What Is It?
Type:	Town, Boundary Ditch, Feature, Oven, Post Hole, Pit
Period:	Romano-British (43 AD - 409 AD)

Where Is It?
Parish:	Alcester
District:	Stratford on Avon, Warwickshire
Grid Reference:	SP 08 57
(Data represented on this map shows the current selected record as a single point, this is for illustrative purposes only and does not represent an accurate or complete representation of archaeological sites or features)

Level of Protection	National - Old SMR PrefRef (Grade: ) Scheduled Monument (Grade: ) Sites & Monuments Record

Description
Source Number
1 The Roman town lies at the confluence of the Rivers Alne and Arrow. The site is beside the confluence of the two rivers under the modern town centre and extended E to Bleachfield Street and Birch Abbey. At the S of the town are the two major Roman routes which pass through Alcester - Ryknild Street and the Salt Way. Leland and Dugdale refer to finds of archaeological material at Blacklands. Various minor discoveries in the C16-C19. From 1923 more organised archaeological work. Origins: Closely linked with the Roman army. No clear evidence of Iron Age settlement on the site, although six or seven coins of the Dobunni are known from the town. Some evidence for the presence of the army - fort to S of town and military metalwork from the town. Some C1 pottery from sites in the town. The C2 saw expansion of the settlement. Fully developed road system probably dates from this time and the roads would have been fronted by buildings, mostly of timber, but some partly in stone. In the C2 there was some type of boundary ditch at the S of the town; then late in the century, part of the town was enclosed by a large degfensive rampart. The enclosed area was about one fifth of the town. In the C4 the town continued to prosper and the defences were added to with a stone wall. In the late C4 the settlement appears to have been in decline. Little is known of the end of Roman Alcester. The town had an irregular street plan. Zoning of industrial buildings in the Birch Abbey area. Rather better quality dwellings to the E of the town. The main cemetery lay to the W of the town - other small cemeteries are known. buildings in the Roman town are of timber and stone and demonstrate a variety of building techniques. To the W of the Roman town traces have been found of a large area of marsh which was open in the Romano British and Medieval periods. This partially explains the location of the defended area. Alcester was initially a military post and then became a market area for the surrounding community. PMB has suggested that large granaries on the Coulters Garage site indicate the organisation, running and maintenance of the collection of the annona militaris (taxes in kind) in the C2-4 from Alcester. 5 Noted. 6 Evaluation and observation at 4-6 Evesham Street revealed Romano-British features including pit and oven, gravel surfaces and boundary ditch. This source also provides similar background information as given in 1. 7 Details of Roman coins found between 1979-1991. 8 A Romano British Ditch was found during an archaeological excavation in the grounds of St. Faiths Primary School. It was probably a drainage ditch or field boundary similar to that recorded during trial trenching in 1995 at St. Benedict's School to the south. No evidence for other Romano-British occupation was revealed in the evaluation and this would confirm that the town did not extend beyond the river and that this area was probably a series of cultivated fields. 9 Roman coin found in the back garden of a house in Evesham Street sometime between 1987 and 1991. 10 Potsherds including colour coated ware, Samian ware and a rim sherd from a mortarium found in the allotments on Bleachfield Street in August 1996. 11 Noted. 12 Evaluation at Swan Court revealed a sequence of archaeological deposits and artefacts associated with low level activity in the Roman period. The results confirmed the presence of a wet or marshy area outside the towns defences, preserving organic deposits. Redepoisted timbers were recorded from the organic deposit. 13 Observation at 12 Bleachfield Street, within the southern extra-mural area of the town. A Roman subsoil was recorded, which showed a degree of disturbance and evidence of burning, though none of it was in situ. 14 Further observation at Swan Court, pursuant to 12. An area of Roman hardstanding was recorded. Due to the construction methodology on this site, the marsh known to extend across this area was not extensively disturbed. 15 A few sherds of pottery were recovered during a watching brief at Chantry Crescent. Whilst no Romano-British features were found in the small scale excavations it is likely that not all of the archaeology was removed by the initial construction of the houses in the 1960s. 16 Some Romano-British pottery sherds, a probable Romano-British feature filled with compacted pebbles, and other probable Romano-British soil layers were found at an archaeological observation at Newport Drive, showing that, as in note 15 above, archaeology remains in this area were not removed in the house construction of the 1960s. 17 An archaeological evaluation at Acorn house, Evesham Street, Alcester within the southern suburb of the Roman town found extensive, well preserved Roman deposits just below the modern garden soil. Pottery analysis suggests that the main occupation phase was mid-1st - early 2nd-century AD. 18 A short section of Romano-British Ditch was recorded in the observation of a culvert inspection chamber being excavated south of Stratford road. The Ditch ran east-west and contained tegula within its fill. 19 A robbed-out section of foundations has been recorded between Meeting Lane and Tibbets Close within Alcester. This is thought to be part of the Roman defences of the town. This is recorded for the specific location as a specific HER entry.
Sources
Source No: 12 Source Type: Archaeological Report Title: Archaeological Evaluation at Swan Court, Swan Street, Alcester, Warwickshire Author/originator: Thompson, P Date: 2006 Page Number: Volume/Sheet: 0653     Source No: 2 Source Type: Bibliographic reference Title: WM Author/originator: PMB Date: Page Number: Volume/Sheet: Roman Alcester     Source No: 3 Source Type: Bibliographic reference Title: AM7 Author/originator: DoE Date: Page Number: Volume/Sheet:     Source No: 1 Source Type: Bibliographic reference Title: Roman Alcester Author/originator: Booth, P M Date: 1980 Page Number: Volume/Sheet:     Source No: 5 Source Type: Bibliographic reference Title: Arch J Author/originator: Burnham B Date: 1987 Page Number: 184 Volume/Sheet: 144     Source No: 7 Source Type: Correspondence Title: Roman and Medieval Chance Finds reported to Birmingham City Museum 1979-1991 Author/originator: Birmingham City Museum Dept of Archaeology Date: 1991 Page Number: Volume/Sheet:     Source No: 9 Source Type: Museum Enquiry Form Title: WMEF 2982 Author/originator: Date: 1993 Page Number: Volume/Sheet: 2982     Source No: 10 Source Type: Museum Enquiry Form Title: WMEF 3674 Author/originator: WM Date: 1996 Page Number: Volume/Sheet: 3674     Source No: 19 Source Type: Evaluation Report Title: Land south of Meeting Lane and Tibbets Close, Alcester, Warwickshire Author/originator: R Cherrington Date: 2016 Page Number: Volume/Sheet:     Source No: 17 Source Type: Evaluation Report Title: Acorn House, Evesham Street, Alcester, Warwickshire, Archaeological Evaluation Author/originator: Gethin B & Palmer S Date: 2013 Page Number: Volume/Sheet: 1308     Source No: 6 Source Type: Evaluation Report Title: Archaeological Evaluation and Observation at 4-6 Evesham Street, Alcester, Warwickshire Author/originator: Coutts C, Gethin B and Jones C Date: 2002 Page Number: Volume/Sheet: Report 0246     Source No: 8 Source Type: Evaluation Report Title: Archaeological Evaluation at St. Faith's Primary School, St. Faith's Road, Alcester, Warwickshire Author/originator: Jones, C & Thompson, P Date: 2004 Page Number: Volume/Sheet: Report No 0442     Source No: 5 Source Type: Observation Report Title: Archaeological Observation at The New Inn, 25 Bleachfield Street, Alcester, Warwickshire Author/originator: Lines, Gavin Date: 1992 Page Number: Volume/Sheet:     Source No: 13 Source Type: Observation Report Title: Archaeological Observation at 12 Bleachfield Street, Alcester Author/originator: Ian Greig Date: 2006 Page Number: Volume/Sheet:     Source No: 14 Source Type: Observation Report Title: Archaeological Observation at Swan Court, Swan Street, Alcester, Warwickshire Author/originator: S C Palmer Date: 2007 Page Number: Volume/Sheet:     Source No: 18 Source Type: Observation Report Title: Archaeological Observation of a drain culvert inspection chamber south of Stratford Rd, Alcester Author/originator: Jones C Date: 2010 Page Number: Volume/Sheet: 1018     Source No: Source Type: Observation Report Title: Archaeological Observation at Alcester Opticians, 65 High Street, Alcester Author/originator: Palmer S Date: 1993 Page Number: Volume/Sheet:     Source No: 15 Source Type: Observation Report Title: 8 Chantry Crescent, Alcester, Warwickshire: Archaeological Watching Brief Author/originator: Archaeology Warwickshire Date: 2012 Page Number: Volume/Sheet: 1249     Source No: 16 Source Type: Observation Report Title: Archaeological Observation at 6 Newport Drive, Alcester, Warwickshire Author/originator: G C Jones and C Rann Date: 2008 Page Number: Volume/Sheet:     Source No: 11 Source Type: Observation Report Title: Archaeological Observation of geotechnical pits at former Abbey Works, Bleachfield Street, Alcester Author/originator: Thompson, P Date: 2005 Page Number: Volume/Sheet: 0505     Source No: Source Type: Serial Title: West Midlands Archaeology Vol 52 Author/originator: CBA West Midlands Date: 2010 Page Number: Volume/Sheet: 52     Source No: 4 Source Type: Scheduling record Title: SAM list Author/originator: DoE Date: 1985 Page Number: Volume/Sheet:     Source No: 5 Source Type: Watching Brief Report Title: The New Inn, 25 Bleachfield Street, Alcester Author/originator: Gethin, Bryn Date: 2002 Page Number: Volume/Sheet:

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