A well-preserved ford has recently been discovered during waterworks near Evesham, in the Wychavon district of Worcestershire.
So far, a section approximately 12m long and 4m wide has been excavated but, unfortunately, no concrete dating evidence has been discovered.
Morphologically, it appears to be Roman in date, but it was found on the grounds of a medieval deer park and could equally date to any time before the brook that it was made for was moved in the 18th-19th century to cut through a nearby mill.
It is hoped that post-excavation analysis, including OSL dating, might shed some more light on its history.
Rut marks on the stone seem to indicate that the ford was once well used by carts, perhaps over the course of a couple of centuries.
Excavations have confirmed the feature was paved in two distinct phases; the primary phase measures 2.95m and is of a higher quality of construction than the secondary phase. Whatever the case, however, the degree of preservation makes this a rare archaeological find.
