2006 PROJECT SELECTION
Church Street, Ribchester, Lancashire: Watching Brief
A watching brief was carried out on Church Street, Ribchester in Lancashire during the construction of an extension for a new kitchen. The modern village of Ribchester is built on the site of the Roman fort of Bremetenacum, and a number of significant remains have been discovered in the area, not least the famous parade helmet, which was found on the edge of the river in 1796. Although the site was situated outside of the fort there was still considerable potential for Roman remains to be discovered, even during such a small development.
All of the excavations for the foundations of the building were carried out by hand, and they were monitored throughout by an archaeologist. The whole area was overlain by topsoil, beneath which were two deposits of clay, both containing fragments of Romano-British pottery. These in turn partially covered a cobbled surface, which dipped to form a shallow gully at its southern end. A short length of copper alloy chain and a glass pin-head were also discovered, but these were more difficult to date. This cobbled surface is interpreted as a Roman road on a north-east/south-west alignment, which would suggest that it connected the fort at Ribchester to that at Burrow-in-Lonsdale.
