Information for record number MWA500:
Excavation of Roman Building, Bleachfield Street, Alcester.

Summary The remains of a series of timber buildings of Roman date were found during excavations in Bleachfield Street. Evidence for the construction of two roads was also found.
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 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: )
Sites & Monuments Record
Description

  
Source Number  

1 1969: Excavation in gardens revealed traces of a succession of timber buildings, the earliest of which may easily be early Flavian. Use of the site continued until late in Roman times. The buildings were aligned N-S and it was impossible to trace any meaningful plans. One timber-framed, daub-walled building had been largely destroyed by fire, probably early in the C2. There was much disturbance from Medieval gravel digging. By the early C2 a street running N-S had been constructed. Later in the C2 this was replaced by another street further W. Before the final resurfacing a large circular timber structure was built encroaching on the site.
3 Excavation report from 1972-3.
 
Sources
Source No: 2
Source Type: Descriptive Text
Title: Index of Alcester sites compiled c.1983 and typescript of a state of knowledge document for Alcester
Author/originator: Booth P M
Date: 1983
Page Number:
Volume/Sheet: Roman Alcester
   
Source No: 1
Source Type: Serial
Title: WMANS no 12 (1969)
Author/originator: Rahtz, P (ed)
Date: 1969
Page Number:
Volume/Sheet: 12
   
Source No: 3
Source Type: Unpublished document
Title: Excavations in the Bleachfield Street, Alcester, 1972,3 (SP088572)
Author/originator: Taylor, S J
Date: 1973
Page Number:
Volume/Sheet:
   
Images:  
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Glossary

 
Word or Phrase
Description  
source WMANS West Midlands Archaeological News Sheet, a publication that was produced each year, this later became West Midlands Archaeology. The West Midlands Arcaheological News Sheet contains reports about archaeological work that was carried out in the West Midlands region in the previous year. It includes information about sites dating from the Prehistoric to the Post Medieval periods. It was produced the Department of Extramural Studies at Birmingham University. Copies are 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 SITE * Unclassifiable site with minimal information. Specify site type wherever possible. 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 ROAD * A way between different places, used by horses, travellers on foot and vehicles. back
monument BLEACHFIELD * Large field or yard used to lay fabrics out ready for bleaching. back
monument GARDEN * An enclosed piece of ground devoted to the cultivation of flowers, fruit or vegetables and/or recreational purposes. Use more specific type where known. back
monument STRUCTURE * A construction of unknown function, either extant or implied by archaeological evidence. If known, use more specific type. back

* Copyright of English Heritage (1999)

English Heritage National Monuments Record