Information for record number MWA518:
Roman Buildings, Alcester.

Summary Stone and timber Romano-British buildings have been found in this area South of Stratford Road, Alcester.
What Is It?  
Type: Building
Period: Romano-British (43 AD - 409 AD)
Where Is It?  
Parish: Alcester
District: Stratford on Avon, Warwickshire
Grid Reference: SP 09 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: )
Sites & Monuments Record
Description

  
Source Number  

1 Excavations in this area by BW Davis in the early 1920s located 'some Roman wall and building'. Later refs mention stone floor and tesserae. Exact location within the field is not known but thought to be on line of Roman Road here.
2 1973. Excavation in advance of the construction of flood barriers. An area some 118m long and on average 8m wide was stripped between SP091570 and the junction of the Stratford and Oversley Roads. At a depth of about 0.3m throughout the entire length cobbled surfaces were exposed, with traces of stone walling and other features. At the S end large quantities of decorated wall-plaster and a number of robbed-out walls indicated the existence of a substantial building. Quantities of Roman material were found in the topsoil. The building extended E and W beyond the threatened area. Two rooms were located and partly excavated, producing large quantities of decorated wall plaster. At least two phases of timber buildings associated with hearths preceded the stone building. The earliest hearth dated from the C2. The stone building was succeeded by a building incorporating pillars or posts. This was in turn succeeded by a building consisting of a loose platform of sandstone with wooden timber-slots at the edges. The building with plaster may date from the C3 or C4.
3 Included in Alcester sites list.
4 Report on three sites investigated including this one. The other two produced no evidence of Roman occupation.
5 Observation was carried out across the length of the floodbank, including across this area previously excavated in 1973. Material encountered in this 2006 observation included a quantity of freshly broken pottery and ocassional fragments of painted wall plaster. This came from a large area of rubble originally interpreted as a destroyed post-medieval agricultural building. However, it may well represent rubble from a Romano-British building which has been reused as a hard surface for the footings and yard of an animal pen. An additional building, probably of 2nd-century date, fronting the Road, was excavated during this programme of work.
 
Sources
Source No: 5
Source Type: Archaeological Report
Title: Archaeological observation of the Alcester Flood Alleviation Scheme, Area 1: Oversley Bridge and Area 3A South of Stratford Road, Alcester
Author/originator: Gethin, B & Thompson, P
Date: 2006
Page Number:
Volume/Sheet: 0651
   
Source No: 3
Source Type: Bibliographic reference
Title: WM
Author/originator: PMB
Date:
Page Number:
Volume/Sheet: Roman Alcester
   
Source No: 1
Source Type: Bibliographic reference
Title: Roman Alcester: Southern Extramural Area 1964-1966 Excavations (Part 1)
Author/originator: Mahany, C. (ed.)
Date: 1994
Page Number:
Volume/Sheet: 1
   
Source No: 4
Source Type: Descriptive Text
Title: Flood Barrier Construction at Alcester
Author/originator: Steven J. Taylor
Date: 1973
Page Number:
Volume/Sheet:
   
Source No: 2
Source Type: Excavation Report
Title: Summary Report on Excavations At Alcester
Author/originator: SJT
Date: 1973
Page Number:
Volume/Sheet: Flood Barrier
   
Images:  
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Glossary

 
Word or Phrase
Description  
source WM Warwickshire Museum Aerial Photograph Collection. A collection of oblique and vertical aerial photographs and taken by various organisations and individuals, including the Royal Airforce, The Potato Board, Warwickshire Museum. The collection is held at the Warwickshire Sites and Monuments Record. back
technique excavation Archaeologists excavate sites so that they can find information and recover archaeological materials before they are destroyed by erosion, construction or changes in land-use.

Depending on how complicated and widespread the archaeological deposits are, excavation can be done by hand or with heavy machinery. Archaeologists may excavate a site in a number of ways; either by open area excavation, by digging a test pit or a trial trench.
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period Roman About 43 AD to 409 AD (the 1st century AD to the 5th century AD)

The Roman period comes after the Iron Age and before the Saxon period.

The Roman period in Britain began in 43 AD when a Roman commander called Aulus Plautius invaded the south coast, near Kent. There were a series of skirmishes with the native Britons, who were defeated. In the months that followed, more Roman troops arrived and slowly moved westwards and northwards.
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period Medieval 1066 AD to 1539 AD (the 11th century AD to the 16th century AD)

The medieval period comes after the Saxon period and before the post medieval period.

The Medieval period begins in 1066 AD.
This was the year that the Normans, led by William the Conqueror (1066 – 1087), invaded England and defeated Harold Godwinson at the Battle of Hastings in East Sussex.
The Medieval period includes the first half of the Tudor period (1485 – 1603 AD), when the Tudor family reigned in England and eventually in Scotland too.

The end of the Medieval period is marked by Henry VIII’s (1509 – 1547) order for the Dissolution of the Monasteries in the years running up to 1539 AD. The whole of this period is sometimes called the Middle Ages.
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monument YARD * A paved area, generally found at the back of a house. back
monument SITE * Unclassifiable site with minimal information. Specify site type wherever possible. back
monument HARD * A firm beach or foreshore used for landing and loading of ships and other vessels. In more recent times hards have been reinforced with concrete. back
monument BUILDING * A structure with a roof to provide shelter from the weather for occupants or contents. Use specific type where known. back
monument STONE * Use only where stone is natural or where there is no indication of function. back
monument FLOOR * A layer of stone, brick or boards, etc, on which people tread. Use broader site type where known. back
monument FEATURE * Areas of indeterminate function. back
monument ROAD * A way between different places, used by horses, travellers on foot and vehicles. back
monument AGRICULTURAL BUILDING * A building used for an agricultural and/or subsistence purpose. Use more specific type where known. back
monument HEARTH * The slab or place on which a fire is made. back
monument WELL * A shaft or pit dug in the ground over a supply of spring-water. back
monument FIELD * An area of land, often enclosed, used for cultivation or the grazing of livestock. back
monument PEN * A small enclosure for cattle, sheep, swine, poultry, etc. Use more specific type where known. back
monument BRIDGE * A structure of wood, stone, iron, brick or concrete, etc, with one or more intervals under it to span a river or other space. Use specific type where known. back
monument PLATFORM * Unspecified. Use specific type where known. back
monument BARRIER * An obstruction, usually manmade, which is used to restrict or prevent access to a settlement, building or area of land. Use more specific type where known. back
monument WALL * An enclosing structure composed of bricks, stones or similar materials, laid in courses. Use specific type where known. back

* Copyright of English Heritage (1999)

English Heritage National Monuments Record