Remains of Roman town in Cambridgeshire given heritage protection

A newly discovered Roman small town has been given heritage protection as a scheduled monument.

The remains of the small town were discovered near Great Staughton, Cambridgeshire during survey work for a solar farm.

Following a geophysics survey conducted from 2022 to 2023, an archeological investigation found the features of the town were well preserved and extend across 31 hectares.

The features discovered include ditches, pits and post holes, and gravel surfaces that represent roads or yard areas.

Among the artefacts recovered are pottery, animal bone, glass, copper alloy objects, iron objects, coins and shells.

Duncan Wilson, Historic England chief executive, said: “This was clearly a significant Roman town.

“The scale and diversity of the archaeological features give a remarkable insight into Roman life in the East of England and help us to understand more about when people came to this place, how they lived and worked, and why they left.”

He said it was an “extraordinary discovery which has an intriguing tale to tell” and he was “delighted to have secured the protection of this important archaeology with the full support of the developer”.

Around 140 Roman small towns have been recorded in England, mainly concentrated in the Midlands and central southern England.

The site near Great Staughton appears to focus on a central open space, with trackways radiating from it, forming a network of roads.

Cllr Lorna Dupre, Chair of Cambridgeshire County Council’s Environment and Green Investment Committee said: “This is an exciting and remarkable discovery which reshapes our understanding of Roman Cambridgeshire.

"Whilst this area had previously been recognised as a place of historical interest locally, we were surprised by the scale and complexity of this well-established town.”

“There have only been a handful of schedulings in Cambridgeshire over the last decade and this is by far the most significant. This site is now our second largest Roman Scheduled Monument after the walled town of Durobrivae, five miles west of Peterborough. I’d like to extend my thanks to those who have worked diligently to recognise this new discovery.”

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