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Items found at Banbury building site, some dating back to the Late Bronze Age
22/05/2024
The site at Bretch Hill is considered one of significant regional importance
The remains of what is thought to be a small sized settlement from between the Late Bronze Age to the Late Iron Age have been discovered at a Banbury building site.
An Anglo-Saxon cemetery containing the remains of at least 52 people has also been discovered where new homes are being built at the top of Bretch Hill off Balmoral Avenue, close to the water tower.
Border Archaeology excavated the site and found over 18,800 artifacts. Items recovered from the prehistoric settlement included handmade pottery and textile tools. Within the Anglo-Saxon burial site items found included bead necklaces, pendants, personal objects and weapons.
9,310 litres of paleoenvironmental samples were taken to help shed light on the human activity of the past.
The site is considered one of significant regional importance.
House builder Orbit Homes is developing the site, which they have called Calthorpe Gardens. Sales and Marketing Director Colin Dean said: “The finds at Calthorpe Gardens are truly extraordinary. It’s been an incredible experience for the whole team to watch the archaeologists undertake excavation of the site and see the quality and significance of the artifacts that were uncovered.
“We’re delighted to be able to help piece together the history of the area and shed some light on what life might have been like at the time. We encourage anyone who is interested to come along to our event on 6th June to hear all the details and we look forward to continuing to learn more as the post-excavation analysis continues.”
Janice McLeish, Director of Post Excavation Services at Border Archaeology added: “It was a career-significant experience for the excavating team to investigate the multi period archaeology and recover the astonishing quality, quantity and range of finds, which will, in the fullness of time, provide a magnificent narrative of the past populations that inhabited Bretch Hill and its surrounding environs.”
We’re being given the chance to view some of the artefacts at a free event on June 6. Representatives from Border Archaeology will give an illustrated talk on the significance of the finds, what they tell us about daily life at the time and the role this landscape played to prehistoric and early Medieval communities of Bretch Hill, as well as its possible links to the continent.
Tickets for the event, which will be held at Banbury Town Hall, are available here.
Published: by Banbury FM Newsteam