Highways Agency

Five new archaeological sites along the wadesmill bypass site

Five New Archaeological Sites Along the Wadesmill Bypass Site

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A little bit of history

A Little Bit of History

The A10 follows the line of Ermine Street, an important route from London to the North even before the Romans formalised it as a paved road.

The route of the new bypass crosses a mixture of pasture, woodland and agricultural land in an area which has been settled since prehistoric times. Evidence for this is well documented, and includes Neolithic/early Bronze Age burial mounds at Plashes Farm and to the west of High Cross, a late Bronze Age/early Iron Age settlement at Moles Farm, as well as a rural Roman settlement at Plashes Farm.

The land later formed part of two manorial estates, centred on Standon and Thundridge, recorded in the Domesday survey of 1087. These were broken up in the later Middle Ages to form smaller estates such as Sutes Manor and Thundridgebury.

The Archaeological Project

Archaeological investigation in advance of the road building has included the collation of all known documentary information about the history of land use along the road corridor.

The study included the examination of historic maps and leases, and archaeological databases and archives; the systematic collection of pottery, tile and worked flint from all the ploughed fields along the route; targeted geophysical surveying to map buried archaeological features; and trial trenching. The preliminary work was followed by the monitoring of all topsoil stripping operations carried out as part of the construction programme.

This work pinpointed three areas of settlement and two other archaeological sites which would be affected by the building works. Each site was carefully investigated by archaeologists from the Heritage Network to ensure that all the surviving remains were fully investigated, recorded and preserved for the future.

Who is Involved

The current archaeological work along the Wadesmill bypass route has been carried out on behalf of Fitzpatrick/Lafarge by The Heritage Network Ltd under the direction of URS Corporation Ltd. The work programme has been managed by Mott MacDonald on behalf of the Highways Agency. The Heritage Network is pleased to acknowledge the advance archaeological investigation works undertaken by the Essex County Council Field Archaeology Unit on behalf of the Highways Agency.

Further Information

Zilke Moffett,
Community Liaison Officer,
Site Offices,
Junction A10/A120,
Puckeridge, Ware.
SG11 1SA.

Telephone: (01920) 823714.

E-mail: zilke.moffett@fitzpatrick.co.uk