Archaeological Excavation in Ewell July 2012

  Update 12th September

 

We have now completed the first season of excavation in Church Meadow Ewell.  Stane Street, the Roman road, on which the Roman settlement of Ewell was established, runs through the site and over several years we will be  looking for evidence of domestic and commercial activity. The dig is  organised by the Church Meadow Steering Group and volunteeers this season were from either  EEHAS or Surrey Archaeological Society. Over seventy volunteers have been involved in the three week excavation, either excavating in the 30m x 10m trench or processing finds. Metal detectorists worked as part of the team and we are supported locally by Bourne Hall Museum and St. Mary's Church, who owns the site. If you would like to see what is happened on site in the first week have a look at the following video diary:

 http://www.getsurrey.co.uk/news/s/2116601_video_ewell_dig_looks_for_roman_settlement

_remains

The project will take several seasons to complete and the aim is to excavate a 100m by 10m strip which has been consecrated in anticipation of extending the adhacent graveyard. The site is the last open area in the middle of Ewell  where excavation can shed light on the village's Romano-British origins.

 

We have received grants from Surrey Archaeological Society, Epsom & Ewell History & Archaeology Society, the Local Committee of Surrey County Council and The Council for British Archaeology. Next year we are hoping to offer some hands-on experience to children from Bourne Hall's Museum Club.

 

An Open Day was held on 14th July and over 100 people visited the site. They viewed recent finds, had a tour of the trench and learnt about Roman Ewell and the Church Meadow Project.

 

An interim report was published in the September edition of the EEHAS newsletter  and is now available online.

An updated version of the interim report was also published in the SyAS Bulletin, 435, November 2012 pg 10-14