Don’t miss out: The A417 is on Digging for Britain

The OCA archaeological dig along the new route of the A417, which has captured the imagination of Gloucestershire residents, will be featured in tonight’s episode of Digging for Britain on BBC Two at 8pm (or available to catch up on iPlayer).

During 2023 and 2024, the team conducted excavations spanning over 40 hectares of the A417 Missing Link Scheme, between Cowley and Brockworth via the Air Balloon Roundabout. At the south-eastern end of the scheme, nearly 8 hectares of the excavation revealed a fascinating Roman settlement.

“Our Roman settlement site was one of the standout areas of our work on the A417 project. We knew that we would find good archaeology, but what was revealed exceeded all expectations.

Being able to look at a Roman roadside settlement in such extensive detail is a rare opportunity, and its relationship to a key Roman road is particularly interesting. It’s clear that the structures we’ve recorded helped serve the passing trade on a busy Roman highway; it really could be a 2000 year old service station!”

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Alex Thomson, OCA Project Manager

Gloucestershire was at the forefront of Roman expansion into Britain following the invasion in 43 AD. The Romans quickly built a network of roads to help spread their influence across the south of England, establishing large settlements at Cirencester and Gloucester.

The team of up to 70 archaeologists uncovered a small town that straddled Ermin Street Roman road, one of the key routes in south-western Roman Britain, linking many large Roman towns, like Silchester, Cirencester and Gloucester.

Discoveries included Roman structures, wells, ovens, and agricultural features, all containing abundant artefactual material. The finds from the site comprised 460 Roman coins, 15 brooches, 420kg of pottery and animal bone, and countless other everyday items, all giving a view into the lives of the settlement’s occupants from nearly 2000 years ago.

“It’s a great pleasure to be able to share our findings with the viewers of Digging for Britain. As a landscape-led project within the Cotswolds National Landscape, being able to explore the traces left by our ancestors provides a unique opportunity to contribute to the story of the Cotswolds and leave a lasting legacy of knowledge for the local community.”

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Jim Keyte, National Highways’ Archaeology Project Manager

As well as Oxford Cotswold Archaeology (OCA), National Highways also worked closely with Gloucestershire County Council and Historic England to carry out the dig, along with Kier, the contractors for the A417 Missing Link scheme.

You can find out more about the site featured in this episode on our website – here.