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The watering hole found near Gloucester is not the only reworked water source recently discovered in England. Excavations in advance of a new Rolls-Royce extension site at Goodwood, near Chichester in West Sussex, have revealed evidence of a thriving Iron Age/Roman settlement, including the remains of a well-preserved, ‘upcycled’ wood-lined well.
The project was carried out by a team from Oxford Archaeology from autumn 2023 to spring 2024. While a few artefacts found during the excavation hinted at earlier uses of the site – including prehistoric flint tools and middle Neolithic and Bronze Age pottery – it was not until the Iron Age that there was a more permanent settlement, reflected by pits and several possible enclosures dating to c.300 BC-AD 43.
Occupation appears to have ramped up soon after the Roman Conquest, though, perhaps due to the site’s location along Stane Street, the Roman road that was built around this time to connect Chichester (Noviomagus Reginorum) and London (Londinium). This phase of the site’s use saw the establishment of a central enclosure, probably developed from the Iron Age settlement, together with several post-built rectangular structures. Both domestic and industrial activities were represented by metalworking slag, burnt stones, brick, and tiles, and the team also discovered a large dump of Roman pottery. This last find was of particular interest and may have related to ceramic production taking place close by.
The settlement appears to have declined through the 3rd century AD, and may have been completely abandoned by the 4th century. One of the most exciting discoveries from its lifetime, though, was a waterlogged, rectangular wooden structure that had been constructed to buttress the steep sides of a well that descended at least 4m (13ft). The structure might have once continued all the way to ground level, but only the lowest timbers (which would have been permanently waterlogged) remained. Of the surviving portion, 28 latticed timbers were arranged across seven tiers (above). Preliminary analysis suggests that at least eight of the timbers had been reused, as there were mortices carved into some of them, while others had large tenons cut at their ends. Based on similar timbers from Roman sites in London, Carlisle, and York, the team believe these had been used as sill beams in a timber-framed building, while other pieces may have served as uprights or horizontal wall plates.
Text: Kathryn Krakowka / Image: Oxford Archaeology
