Woodgate
Woodgate
Woodgate (by W.J.Finch, 1870)
Woodgate House in around 1870, painted by W. J. Finch, showing the estate as it appeared shortly after its transformation from a working farm into a Victorian country residence.
Trial Trench December 2015
Following a trial trench in December 2015, the first community dig, led by Britannia Archaeology, took place in August 2016.
A community affair
The Aylsham Roman Project is driven by community involvement, with local volunteers working alongside professional archaeologists to excavate, record, clean and study artefacts, helping to uncover and preserve Aylsham's rich archaeological heritage.
Woodgate
Beneath the fields at Woodgate, on the edge of Aylsham, lies one of Norfolk's most important archaeological discoveries. Since 2015, the Aylsham Roman Project has been uncovering the remains of a thriving Roman settlement, transforming our understanding of the area's ancient past.
The project is a community-orientated organisation whose aim is to explore and preserve the history of the settlement while involving local people at every stage. Combining professional archaeological standards with enthusiastic volunteer participation, the project has become a model of successful community archaeology.
The story began after decades of landowner Peter Purdy walking the fields and regularly finding fragments of Roman pottery brought to the surface by rabbits and molehills. Convinced that something significant lay beneath the ground, he brought together archaeologists, volunteers and local organisations to begin a community excavation - a decision he says he has "never looked back" on.
Excavations have since revealed a substantial Roman settlement dating from the 2nd to 4th centuries AD, including pottery kilns, workshops, roads, boundary ditches and the remains of a high-status Roman villa. Thousands of artefacts have been recovered, including coins, brooches, pottery, tools and everyday household objects, offering a remarkable insight into life in Roman Norfolk. Historic England has described the pottery kilns as among the finest examples discovered in Britain, while evidence from the site shows that people have lived on this landscape for thousands of years before the Romans arrived.
Today, the Aylsham Roman Project continues to welcome volunteers, schools and visitors. Every excavation uncovers new evidence, helping to preserve Aylsham's rich heritage and bringing the story of its Roman past vividly to life for future generations. Full information can be found at www.aylshamromanproject.com
Contact the Roman Project on:
All historical images reproduced here courtesy of Aylsham Town Archive, a part of Aylsham Town Council
