Monument record MLI127395 - Roman building remains, Ancaster
Summary
The remains of a limestone structure of Roman date on land to the south of Paddock Close, Ancaster.
Type and Period (4)
- STRUCTURE (Roman - 43 AD to 409 AD)
- BUILDING ? (Roman - 43 AD to 409 AD)
- DEMOLITION DEBRIS (Roman - 43 AD to 409 AD)
- PIT (Roman to Post Medieval - 43 AD to 1900 AD)
Protected Status/Designation
- None recorded
Full Description
The remains of a limestone building of Roman date were encountered during a programme of geophysical survey and trial trenching in 2004. An area of high resistivity some 18m across was identified as masonry, either comprising extant structural remains or a dense demolition layer. Subsequent trenching revealed the corner of a building, comprising two parallel L-shaped sections of walling. Both were faced externally on their northern and eastern sides. There was some evidence that some of the stonework had been robbed out. A portion of the inner wall was exposed to a depth of 0.72m (at 45.10m OD) without reaching the base of the wall. A floor of light grey brown lime mortar was exposed at 45.23m OD. A layer of building rubble containing tile, tesserae, Roman pottery of late 3rd-4th century date and painted wall plaster overlayed the floor. This likely represents a demolition deposit. {1}{2}
Further building remains were found at this location during a subsequent programme of archaeological monitoring and recording in March-October 2006. The walls of the building were constructed from coursed, roughly dressed limestone blocks with tile spacers and a hard yellow-brown mortar. The extant remains represent the northern end of an 18m wide two-bay building extending southwards beyond the survey area. Two phases of construction are evident: the first phase consisted of a single bay with an internal width of 4.50m. The western wall of this phase was demolished, leaving a short stub projecting from the north wall, and the building was extended to both the east and west. An entrance measuring 1.10m wide was present in the north wall of the eastern bay; this was blocked with un-mortared limestone fragments, dressed on the exterior face. Painted wall plaster was preserved in situ on the internal walls in the northwest corner of the building. Two sections of a narrower limestone wall were discovered to the northeast of this structure, matching its alignment. Only the outer faces of these wall sections were dressed. Demolition debris likely from this building was recovered from a pit immediately to the north. {3}{4}
The southern part of the structure appears to have been demolished in antiquity. During trial trenching in October 2023, a demolition layer containing significant quantities of Roman building fabric and material culture was encountered (see ELI14344 and MLI127329). No extant structural remains were encountered.
Sources/Archives (4)
- <1> SLI10742 Report: Northamptonshire Archaeology. 2004. An Archaeological Trial Trench Evaluation at 5 Paddock Close, Ancaster. -.
- <2> SLI10743 Archive: Northamptonshire Archaeology. 2004. An Archaeological Trial Trench Evaluation at 5 Paddock Close, Ancaster. LCNCC: 2004.13.
- <3> SLI18591 Report: Northamptonshire Archaeology. 2006. An Archaeological Watching Brief at Ancaster Roman Town. NA Site Code: ANC06.
- <4> SLI18592 Archive: Northamptonshire Archaeology. 2004. An Archaeological Watching Brief at Ancaster Roman Town. LCNCC: 2004.13.
Map
Location
| Grid reference | Centred SK 98440 43651 (29m by 21m) Surveyed |
|---|---|
| Civil Parish | ANCASTER, SOUTH KESTEVEN, LINCOLNSHIRE |
Related Monuments/Buildings (1)
Related Events/Activities (3)
External Links (0)
Record last edited
Dec 4 2024 1:28PM
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