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Archaeologist's call for Roman buildings to be protected
Above. One of the mosaics discovered and photographed by Charles Daniels in 1959.
(Photo: University of Nottingham Museum)
Three hundred and fifty people turned up at a public meeting in Southwell in February 2009 to call for full excavation of a site next to Southwell Minster (which also serves as the Cathedral Church for Nottinghamshire). Two wings of what has been described as a Roman villa were discovered by Charles Daniels in 1959, who also uncovered several mosaics and a bath house whose ceiling plaster (now on display in the Minster) was painted with depictions of Cupid and fish. The remains lie on land whose ownership is split between the Cathedral Chapter, the Church Commissioners, the Minster School and the developer, Caunton Properties Limited. The site has planning permission for 13 houses, despite the fact that part of it is designated as a scheduled monument, and the developers have previously applied for permission to increase that number to 37.Trial excavations were carried out at the site in winter 2008 by Pre-Construct Archaeology, mainly to check the depth and extent of the remains, and to remove medieval burials from the site. A massive wall was found on the eastern side of the site (furthest away from the Roman buildings excavated by Charles Daniels), bonded with a waterproof, putty-like lime-based mortar; this has tentatively been interpreted as the remains of a medieval quay, used for off-loading construction materials that had been transported to the Minster site by boat.On the western side of the site, close to the buildings revealed by Daniels’ excavations, another large wall was found on the same alignment as the ‘villa’ buildings, built from carefully worked sandstone blocks keyed with diagonal lines in readiness for plastering. One interpretation is that the wall is part of a temple enclosure, and that the ‘villa’ is a hostel for visitors to a cult site that preceded the Minster, which was established in AD 956, but possibly on the site of a church visited by St Paulinus, the Archbishop of York, in AD 627.Plans have been drawn up to protect the waterlogged remains in situ, in compliance with PPG16, but local people, who favour the creation of a heritage park on the land, believe that to develop the site without excavation would be a lost opportunity; they also fear that further land will also be sold for development. Will Bowden, Associate Professor of Roman Archaeology at the University of Nottingham, which holds the archive of photographs and lecture slides of the site bequeathed by Charles Daniels, has joined his voice to those of community groups in Southwell who want the site to be protected because of the remains and its special relationship with the Minster. ‘We could be looking at a substantial set of buildings to rival some of the big courtyard villas in south Britain’, he said. ‘It has mosaics on at least three sides and even in its early stages it seems to have had a really substantial bath house with very splendid paintings ... to my mind the villa is a key part of the Minster site as a whole and consequently should be treated as an integral part of a nationally important monument.'Further developments can be followed by visiting the website of the Southwell community archaeology group at www.southwellarchaeology.org.
Dr Bowden's article in Current Archaeology
Download a PDF

11 April 2009
SOUTHWELL MINSTER AND ROMAN VILLA
I was disturbed to read in Current Archaeology No. 232 of the proposal to build on land close to Southwell Minster. That would be an inexcusable act of cultural vandalism, and it must be opposed vigorously.
The core of Southwell is an archaeological and historical site of national importance, and should be protected from the greed of modern development. For more than 30 years I have studied and written about the origins of pre-Norman minster and monastic churches, and in particular the tricky problem of the legacy bequeathed by the Roman period. While a significant number of great churches are on or adjacent to the sites of Roman buildings, we still know little about the process of transition between late Roman and Anglo-Saxon religious life.
In most of the instances where an Anglo-Saxon minster or a medieval cathedral church has been overlaid on a Roman building complex there has also been intensive urban development of the surrounding area over the past millennium, or longer. Consequently, the critical archaeological evidence has either been inaccessibly buried beneath important later buildings that will be preserved indefinitely, or there has been so much development and redevelopment that the physical remains have been heavily damaged or destroyed. However, in a very small number of instances, a site that is known to have supported high-status Roman and Anglo-Saxon buildings has subsequently been spared, by changing social or economic circumstances, from being intensively occupied in the Middle Ages, and subsequently. Southwell is one of those very rare places. And by ‘rare’, I mean less than a handful in the entire UK.
The archaeological potential for studying the emergence of an Anglo-Saxon minster from a high-status Roman complex at Southwell is very great indeed. I have always regarded it as one of the most outstanding archaeo-religious sites in its category for preservation and meticulous excavation at some time in the future, and I have observed with mounting concern other developments in the vicinity of the Minster in recent decades. The insidious, piecemeal erosion of this exceptional archaeological complex should be halted permanently. Moreover, it is totally unacceptable for the authorities concerned with this case to be seduced into believing that partial or even full excavation of the threatened site is an acceptable alternative to preservation. If this or any other areas in the vicinity of the Minster are to be excavated, they must be tackled with adequate resources and a highly experienced archaeological team, and without any pressure on time. This is emphatically not a site to be tackled on the back of a planning consent, by a drafted-in archaeological contractor, working to a developer’s timetable and his funding.
Warwick Rodwell
Professor Warwick Rodwell, DPhil, DLitt, DLit, FSA, FRHistS
Consultant Archaeologist & Architetcural Historian,
Westminster Abbey,

PUBLIC MEETING A GREAT SUCCESS -- LARGEST PUBLIC GATHERING IN SOUTHWELL IN RECENT YEAR (Posted 18.03.2009)
Around 350 people attended a public meeting at the Minster School Southwell on Tuesday 24 February 2009 to hear about the importance of the Roman villa and to discuss the future for Southwell’s Roman Heritage.
The meeting, jointly sponsored by Southwell Civic Society, Southwell History Society, Southwell Community Archaeology Group, and Southwell Heritage Trust, was the largest public meeting to be held in Southwell in recent years, clearly indicating the level of interest in the town’s heritage.
Dr.Will Bowden, Associate Professor of Roman Archaeology at the University of Nottingham, gave an illustrated talk emphasising the national importance of the Roman villa in Southwell.
This was followed by a discussion on how the important remains of the villa might be recorded, preserved and protected as an important heritage asset, not just for Southwell but for the County.

THE IMPORTANCE OF SOUTHWELL'S ROMAN VILLA
Dr. Bowden spelt out the importance and significance of Southwell’s Roman villa.
Some of his key points included:-

The site was extremely important in archaeological terms. Dr Bowden considered it should be fully investigated before any development was permitted.
Dr. Bowden said the villa complex was unusual in terms of its size and its physical proximity to the Minster.
He concluded that “the archaeology of Southwell and the villa site is towards the upper end of national importance and should be treated as such”.

PROPOSALS FOR PRESERVING OUR HERITAGE
The meeting then went on to consider two key proposals put forward by the sponsoring organisations:-

1. That there should be a full investigation of the site of the former Minster School site in order to enable the archaeology to be fully understood.
2. That a landscaped strip containing the important known Roman remains - the east and south wings of the villa and the recently discovered wall- should be created, that remains free from development and in public ownership.

The larger part of the land required for the strip [containing the east wing and the wall] is owned by the developer.
A further area of land to be included in the landscaped area [containing the south wing and the rooms with mosaics] is owned by the Minster School Governors - land gifted by the Minster for the original Church Street School site development.
There are plans for buildings on the Church Street site which would encroach on the Roman remains and the strip is necessary to preserve and safeguard the remains for the public benefit and for future generations.
The strip would have the virtues of protecting the remains in perpetuity; allow full interpretation and signage, with the remains “marked” in the landscape; and would enable visitors to get the sense of the sheer scale of Roman building activity. It would also have the added and important bonus of connecting, both physically and visually, important open spaces north and south of the site Without the strip none of this would be possible, the remains would be built over and lost to the community for at least 80-100 years.
Once in place the strip could form part of an “Outstanding Heritage Area “including the Minster and the Archbishop’s Palace.
SEE MAPS
There was overwhelming support for both proposals and several indications of a desire and readiness to write to the various parties involved in determining the future of these important remains, expressing that support.
It was suggested that those wishing to express support could write to the School Governors, the County and District Councils and English Heritage.
Cllr. Bruce Laughton [County Councillor for Southwell] addressed the meeting briefly and urged that the Bishop and Patrick Mercer M.P. should also be contacted by the organisers.
It was agreed that the salient points relating to the two proposals would be placed on the websites of the Civic Society and the Archaeology Group, together with relevant addresses.

Preserving Southwell’s Roman Heritage (Posted 18.03.2009)
Salient points for letters of support
There was overwhelming support at the public meeting for the two proposals put forward:-
1. That there must be a full investigation of the Church Street site.
2. That a landscaped strip should be created incorporating the Roman villa remains, including the recently discovered wall, that remains free from development, and in a single public ownership. The strip should then form part of an “Outstanding Heritage Area” including the Minster and the Archbishop’s Palace.
To enable people to express their support for these proposals it was agreed that the salient facts would be placed on this web site and on the Southwell Civic Society’s web site www.southwellcivicsociety.com
This is a site of National Importance. Dr Will Bowden said at the public meeting that in his view “the archaeology of Southwell and the villa site is towards the upper end of national importance and should be treated accordingly.”
Proposal 1 There must be a full investigation of the Church Street site
• we now know that survival of archaeological remains is much more extensive than previously thought.• there is still much to learn about this site, not only of Roman origin but, for instance the location of the medieval Beckingham Prebendal building.• the opportunity must be taken to learn as much as possible before any development starts.
Proposal 2 A landscaped strip should be created incorporating the Roman villa remains, including the recently discovered wall, that remains free from development and in public ownership. The strip should then form part of an “Outstanding Heritage Area” including the Minster and the Archbishop’s Palace.
The landscaped strip would have the virtues of :-
• protecting these outstanding remains in perpetuity for the public benefit• allowing the remains to be undisturbed until/unless funds become available for further investigation• allowing for full interpretation and signage /remains “marked” in the landscape
• enabling visitors to get the sense of the sheer scale of the Roman building activity in Southwell• creating a strong visual link between important open spaces to the north and south of the site
If any part of the strip were to be built over, or covered by gardens, fences or hedges, parking areas etc, none of this would be possible.
Remains merely “preserved in situ” and then built over will be lost to the community for at least 80 -100 years.
n.b. don’t be seduced by the words “preserved in situ” or “mitigation strategy”- neither mean what a lay person might reasonably take them to mean. They can actually mean the authorities are going to allow building over archaeology.
LAND OWNERSHIP
The larger part of the strip lies within the Church Street housing site [former Minster School], and is subject to an existing planning permission for housing; this part of the strip contains the cold bath-house and the wall.
The remainder is owned by the School Governors-this area was gifted by the Minster when the school was built, with a covenant that it should used “for the good of and benefit to the community”; this area contains the rooms with mosaic.
The Governors now intend to sell this land and are seeking to achieve the best price for this land.
This area owned by the Governors is currently “open space” and in our view should remain so.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
This is an opportunity of a life time, which if missed will mean valuable heritage being effectively lost forever. This demands of those with responsibilities -commitment, vision and imagination.

Those who could be written to in support of the proposals include:-
Patrick Mercer O.B.E MP
House of Commons
LONDON
SW1A 0AA
email millican@parliament.uk

Cllr. Steve Carroll
Nottinghamshire County Council
County Hall
West Bridgford NG2 7QP
email cllr.steven.carroll@notts.gov.uk

M Evans Head of Planning
Newark and Sherwood District Council
Kelham Hall
Kelham
Newark
Notts NG23 5QX
email planning@nsdc.info

Jon Humble
Inspector of Ancient Monuments
East Midlands Region
English Heritage
44 Derngate
Northampton
NN1 1UH
email jon.humble@english-heritage.org.uk

Nigel Turner Chair of Governors
The Minster School
Nottingham Road
Southwell
Notts
NG25 0LG
email office@minster.notts.sch.uk

A Statement from the four sponsoring organisations (posted 18.03.2009)

[Southwell Civic Society; Southwell History Society; Southwell Community Archaeology Group; Southwell Heritage Trust]

Almost 350 people attended the public meeting on 24th February 2009, the largest public meeting to be held in Southwell in recent years.

Two proposals were put forward:-
1. That there must be a full investigation of the Church Street site.
2. That a landscape strip should be created incorporating the Roman villa remains, including the recently discovered wall, that remains free from development and in public ownership. The strip should then form part of an “Outstanding Heritage Area” including the Minster and the Archbishop’s Palace.

In response to the overwhelming support shown for these proposals the four sponsoring organisations have formed a CAMPAIGN TEAM to fight for the preservation of Southwell’s NATIONALLY IMPORTANT ROMAN ARCHAEOLOGY.
• this will be a difficult battle as none of the authorities that will decide the fate of the archaeology has so far shown a willingness to endorse our proposals
• there is an existing permission to build over the cold bath-house and the most recent proposals included houses and flats over known remains
• make no mistake the Roman heritage is most definitely still at risk

As a first step in our campaign we have had a meeting with Patrick Mercer MP who has agreed to approach both English Heritage and the Department for Culture, Media and Sport to hopefully get them more interested and supportive than they have been to date.

WATCH OUT FOR THESE WORDS!

Just for information at this point don’t be seduced by the words “preserved in situ” or “mitigation strategy”- neither mean what a lay person might reasonably take them to mean. They actually can mean the authorities are going to allow building over archaeology.

Anyone with skills and support to offer is more than welcome to join us

Please contact us via e-mail [info@southwellarchaeology.org.uk] or

telephone Trevor Wight 01636 812109 or Roger Dobson 01636 814539

Special joint meeting of Southwell Civic Society, Southwell Local History Society, Southwell Heritage Trust and the Southwell Community Archaeology Group.

ILLUSTRATED LECTURE
“THE ROMAN VILLA IN SOUTHWELL”
Presented by: Dr Will Bowden
Associate Professor in Roman Archaeology, University of Nottingham
7.30pm on Tuesday 24th February 2009
in the Minster School Hall, Nottingham Road, Southwell

You will be aware of the mounting public interest in the remains of the Roman villa that stood on the present Church Street. The demolition of the old Minster School buildings on the site last year has presented the best opportunity in over fifty years for a full archaeological excavation of the site.

For our first meeting in 2009 we have therefore arranged, in conjunction with other interested local organisations, an illustrated lecture discussing the significance of the discoveries made last autumn, and those from the excavations in 1965.

Southwell Town Council is proposing that a strip of land running between Church Street and the playing field, and encompassing parts of the Roman cold bath (identified fifty years ago), the mosaics, and the major public building (temple?) wall recently uncovered, be acquired and conserved for permanent access. Our Town Council is looking for public approval for their initiative and this meeting will provide an opportunity to establish local opinion through questions and discussion after the lecture.

It has been agreed that the meeting will be open without charge to anyone interested to attend. Please take the opportunity to bring some friends with you; the new School hall is quite big enough to accommodate everyone

Dig gives new slant to Romans in Britain
By ELIZABETH HAMBIDGE - Newark Advertiser
12/12/2008
Sue Rodgers with the Roman Wall
Above: Nottinghamshire County Council’s community conservation projects manager, Mrs Sue Rodgers, with the Roman wall.
Finds from the archaeological dig in Southwell may rewrite the way historians view the Roman occupation of Britain.Archaeologists believe they have found evidence of a large Roman temple during their excavations of the former Minster School site on Church Street.
Nottinghamshire County Council’s senior archaeologist, Ursilla Spence, described the potential discovery as extremely significant.
“ Archaeologists and specialists are very excited about this site,” she said.
“ It is certainly very exciting and could well rewrite the archaeology of the region and may impact on our understanding of the Roman invasion.”
The archaeologist believes the temple could have been built on an earlier sacred pagan site.
She said: “If it is early Roman it could affect the way we think about how they moved in territories we thought were hostile around the country.”
Ursilla Spence said more about the significance of the remains would be known when carbon dating had taken place on pieces of wooden scaffolding found at the site.
The remains may solve the centuries-old mystery of why Southwell Minster was built where it is.
Historians have struggled to explain why the minster was built on low-lying land with seemingly no major historical importance, but archaeologists believe if the site was a temple, it would explain why.
They believe remains of the temple could be under the minster itself.
Ursilla Spence told Southwell Town Council that it was the discovery of a 4ft high Roman wall in November that led them to believe there was once a temple on the site.
An investigation in 1959, before the school was built, found evidence of what archaeologists believed was one of the largest villas in the East Midlands.
Ursilla Spence said the wall they found turned away from the building thought to be the villa, indicating there was another large structure on site.
The discovered wall could be the outer wall of the temple.
Ursilla Spence believes there may be a sacred pool under the minster that would have been enclosed in a courtyard in the centre of a temple.
She now believes the building thought to be a villa was accommodation for people visiting the neighbouring temple.
She said: “I always assumed that the villa was the reason for the minster being there but the temple means that we’ve had to reassess the importance of this.”
A lack of finds such as broken pottery, animal bones and shells supports the archaeologists’ belief.
Ursilla Spence said villa sites usually contained a lot of material while more important sites such as temples and palaces did not.
A waterproof concrete area dating to Roman times was found near the Potwell Dyke. It is thought it was used as a quay when building materials or goods for the temple were brought down the stream.
Other important finds include four skeletons towards the middle of the site laid out East to West in the manner of a Christian burial.
Ursilla Spence said: “Because they are a Christian burial we would expect them to have been buried a metre below the surface but these were very near to the top.”
She said those building the school found skeletons but they were left in-situ and covered with a thin layer of road stone.
Ursilla Spence said in places there was not much archaeology left because stones had been removed in Saxon and Medieval times.
She suspects stones and artefacts, taken during Medieval time, were still in the town.
“ In many cases these sorts of stones end up in people’s rockeries. We don’t want people to bring us these pieces of stone but we would like to record them,” she said.

Roman temple unearthed in Notts
Article from Nottingham Evening Post
Tuesday, December 09, 2008, 07:30
THE remains of a Roman temple have been found in Notts – and experts say it could re-write the history books.
A wall dating back as far as 43AD, made from large smooth-faced sandstone blocks, has been unearthed at the former Minster School site in Southwell.
Twenty metres long by 2.5 metres tall, it is part of an emerging complex of buildings including a Roman bathing monument – known as a nymphaeum.
The site also contains what is believed to be a large villa.
Ursilla Spence, senior archaeological officer for Notts County Council, says the find is one of the most exciting in her 25-year career.
She said: "This is a monumental discovery. I have never seen Roman archaeology looking like that in Notts.
" It is starting to re-write our understanding of Notts in the Roman period.
" You don't expect to see a wall of this masonry. It looks as if it could be a pagan Roman temple. Not only are they using these huge blocks but they were using smooth faces. It is very much a grand building.
" We certainly were not expecting anything like this.
" We had nothing to say it was there. To us it is new and very exciting."
It is only the second Roman pagan temple to be discovered in Notts, the other was found in 1963 near to the site where the East Midlands Parkway Station is being built.
The Southwell find is significant because there is no evidence of a Roman settlement in the town.
Bryn Walters, director and secretary of the Association for Roman Archeology, described the news as "very, very interesting".
He said: "This could change the way the history [of Southwell] is looked at.
" It is interesting that there might be something else and has not been found yet.
" If there is a temple, there is going to be something else not far away."
He said the discovery of the temple could mean that what was thought to be a villa, previously discovered at the site, might be a lavish resting place for pilgrims.
He said: "There may well be something of great importance there.
" It is potentially a very, very interesting site indeed. Potentially Southwell is hiding a lot of information."
Mrs Spence added: "We think it's a whole complex. We have got most of the elements. I am expecting another structure to turn up this week."

Members of Southwell Community Archaeology Group (SCAG) filled the Old Court House to capacity at a meeting on Saturday 22 November to hear Ursilla Spence, Notts County Council’s Senior Archaeologist and Professor Phillip Dixon, Archaeologist to Southwell Minster Dean and Chapter.
The speakers were well received and gave an informative account of the present state of the archaeological investigations of the former Minster School site at Church Street Southwell.
There was a frank exchange of questions and information, details of which will shortly be available on SCAG’s web site www.southwellarchaeology.org.uk Most discussion related to what had been found so far, especially the massive wall, and what the findings might tell us about the scale of Roman activity in Southwell, which is certainly proving to be considerably greater than previously thought.
Extra trenches are to be dug to see if more information can be obtained. It appears likely at the moment that the dig will finish before Christmas.
Members considered and approved a constitution for the group and elected officers and a committee. Membership of SCAG, currently standing at more than forty, is open to all with an interest in promoting and preserving the archaeology of Southwell and is at a very affordable annual cost of £10. New members are welcome and no specialist knowledge is required. All that is needed is an interest in the rich archaeological history of Southwell and a wish to be involved in exciting future projects that are possible.

Southwell Community Archaeology Group
Meeting held 22nd November 2008
“ A brief note of the more significant exchanges”
Ms. Ursilla Spence (US) introduced herself as Senior Archaeological Officer for Nottinghamshire County Council and explained that she is acting as Adviser to Newark and Sherwood District Council on the Church Street application. Her role is to ensure compliance with Planning Policy Guidance PPG16 with an emphasis on maintaining good relations between NSDC and the developer to preserve as much of the archaeological remains as possible in situ. She acts in an advisory capacity and has no statutory powers. She is not a research archaeologist.
Professor Philip Dixon (PD) introduced himself as Archaeologist to Southwell Minster Dean and Chapter. He does have statutory powers to ensure compliance with the requirements of the Cathedrals Fabric Commission but his jurisdiction is over Chapter land only, not Church Commission land. The putative Roman villa spreads over land owned by Chapter, Church Commission and the developer.
Peter Harris (Town and District Councillor) asked what had been found and how it would be made publicly available. US explained that nearest the Minster a 4ft high wall comprising 2 foundation courses and 2 courses of wall had been found aligned approximately with Daniels’ 1959 ‘villa’ finds and returning eastwards at the southern end. Towards the middle of the site 3 or 4 grave cuts aligned east/west indicating Christian burial had been found, one contained some human remains. Towards Potwell Dyke there was a thick layer of white waterproof material into which were buried the remains of Roman buildings. It was thought that this could have been a quay.
Roger Dobson (Town Councillor) congratulated the archaeological team on their discoveries but expressed disappointment that the dig was to end before Christmas when there was still so much potential to find out more about the history of Southwell. US repeated that she was not a research archaeologist. The archaeology is not degradable and if built on would be preserved in situ for the lifetime of the proposed development as required by PPG16. PD thought that because of the need for constant pumping the cost of a full survey could be £1 million. Because of water the site could not be left exposed and preservation by record only was the only feasible option. He had previously thought that most of the story lay under the Dean’s garden and that Daniels’ results would be all he would ever know of it. He was delighted by the latest findings and felt that although the story may soon be closed it would not be lost.
Bruce Laughton (Nottinghamshire County Councillor) asked if there was anything he could do to help extend the dig. US replied that County Council money was already being spent.
Joy Brooke asked when permission was given for the building of the school. US replied that this was about the time of Daniels’ 1959 excavations when there was no PPG16. She thought significant remains must have been discovered and suggested an appeal to the public to declare previous finds. Any anecdotal evidence would also be valuable to understanding the full picture.
Tony Morris asked whether any ceramics had been found and whether there was any evidence of the villa extending to the playing fields. US understood very little had been found apart from lots of Roman brick and tile fragments. There was no sign of extension but the site was full of surprises. PD confirmed that it was extremely unusual not to find barrow loads of pottery on a Roman site and offered two possible explanations – the ‘cleanliness of palaces’ or a non domestic site.
Malcolm Rose confirmed that there was Roman rubbish in gardens in Farthingate. PD felt this had been dumped from elsewhere.
Beryl Calthrop on behalf of U3A Archaeology Group expressed disappointment that she had not been able to visit the site. US said that the developers had agreed in principle to further viewing and she was negotiating details which she hoped would include pumping out the wall area to improve visibility.
Barry Austen expressed strong objection to the intensity of the proposed development. It was explained that this matter was outside the scope of this meeting.
Peter Harris explained that if the extant planning permission scheme was amended NSDC could make approval of any new scheme conditional on extra archaeological investigations being carried out. US answered that she was keen to retain the developer’s cooperation and did not want to ask for specifically research questions to be answered.
Kate Sartain asked how the story would be told if the remains were covered and whether any funds would be available to do this. US confirmed that Pre-Construct will be producing ‘grey literature’ and will also probably want to publish in Transactions of the Thoroton Society. She may have funding to work with SCAG to produce something better. PD confirmed that he had agreed to produce a model of the villa for the previous Dean.
Bruce Laughton asked whether a 106 Agreement could be put in place so that the developer paid for protection of the wall and for an interpretation project by SCAG. US would try to avoid a 106 but can be absolutely certain that the wall will stay put and will be scheduled as an ancient monument.
Roger Dobson asked how much of the villa had been excavated. PD replied that most of the villa lay under Vicars Court and probably no more than 15% had been excavated.
Meg Murdoch asked for a bit about the story of the site. PD said the remains found to date were of higher quality than would be expected north of The Fosse. The tesserae were very good for the Midlands, the wall painting was the best in England and, if a villa wall, he had seen nothing of that quality beyond Rome or Southern France. He then speculated about why something so good might be here in Southwell. (PD has been asked for an article for our website.)
Trevor Wight asked for a plan of the finds. US was unsure whether this could be done because of the amount of disturbance in the past.
Chris Knight asked whether, bearing in mind that the wall was to be scheduled, it would still be possible to cantilever foundations over the cold bath which had been excavated in 1959. US was unable to comment at this stage.
Brian Waters had worked on the bath house in the East Wing during the 1959 excavations by Daniels who was under pressure to complete quickly .He confirmed that stratification was non existent and that the site was very wet. He thought that the wall just exposed may have been uncovered by Daniels and drawn up by Stan Revell.
John Lock asked whether everything was being done to think outside the box and promote these findings to a wider audience. US said she had been lucky to be able to call on a number of experts who were thinking outside the box.
Tony Morris asked whether the stone used in the wall had been identified and whether anyone had contacted the builders of the school (Fishers) or the surveyor (John Hardy) who is still alive. US confirmed that she was working on the stone and some other carved stones apparently from a high status Roman building that had been found. Anyone connected with the previous development should be contacted.
Brendan Haigh said he would contact the school architect whom he knows.
Daryl Baxter asked whether there was any dating evidence for the wall. He suggested C4. PD and US both thought it looked earlier.
Peter Kent asked whether it was planned to excavate the apparently undisturbed archaeology beneath the skeleton. US confirmed that this was to be done.

Visit to the Roman villa site - 16.11.2008
Thanks to Ursilla Spence, Nottinghamshire County Council Archaeologist, SCAG members were able to visit the site of the Kean Homes development on Sunday 16th November.
Cleared sit at Church Street, Southwell
The former Minster School buildings have now been completely demolished and archaeologists from Pre-Construct Archaeology (Lincoln) have been able to investigate a number of different parts of the site, although the excavations are clearly made more difficult by the waterlogged conditions.
On the eastern side of the site (furthest away from the Roman buildings excavated by Charles Daniels) a trench has revealed a spread of rubble thought to be of Roman date, delineated by a possible wall. This wall was bonded with a putty-like lime-based white substance that is thought to represent a waterproof membrane. A tentative suggestion put forward by the archaeologists is that this may represent part of an ancient quay used for offloading construction materials transported to the site by boat.
On the western side of the site, close to the buildings revealed by the Daniels excavations, an extraordinary length of wall has been found (of which a section was shown in the Newark Advertiser some weeks ago). This wall, which seemingly follows a similar alignment to the “villa” buildings that lie beneath the gardens to the west, is built from carefully worked sandstone blocks. Those on which the face is visible are incised with deep diagonal lines which seem to have been intended to act as keying for plaster. This wall survives up to two courses high, although the method of construction is very varied. One section is thought to represent later blocking of a gateway, although as the wall seems to be a revetment or terracing wall, it is not yet clear how this works.
The wall has been traced for a considerable distance to the south, where a return has been found running towards the east (i.e. away from the villa complex). This could suggest that a large (?) rectangular enclosure surrounded the area now covered by the Kean site. Its northern limit is unknown, although given the position of the north wing of the villa, it is possible that the north wall of the putative enclosure lies beneath South Muskham Prebend on the far side of Church Street.
The question remains therefore as to what this wall represents. If it was part of a splendid façade for the villa, it would be highly unusual (indeed unique for a villa in Britain) and it seems more reminiscent of civic architecture. Given the waterlogged location, it is tempting to see it as a precinct surrounding a temple (as pre-Roman and Romano-British cult sites are often focused around springs or similar). Indeed Alison Wilson, in her dissertation on the Southwell villa, has previously put forward the hypothesis that the villa/Minster reflected an earlier cult site and this discovery certainly adds weight to the suggestion. It also throws open the question of the nature of the villa itself. Is it a villa or is it a hostel that would serve visitors to a cult?
Sadly, we are unlikely to find the answer to this question during the present campaign of excavation, as there are no plans to carry out large-scale open area excavations in the central part of the site, beyond those which are needed to remove medieval or post-medieval burials that have been revealed in recent weeks. Unless the current excavation strategy is changed we will frustratingly be left with more questions than answers (as is sometimes the way with archaeology) and that the Southwell villa will keep its secrets until the site is redeveloped again many years in the future. From an archaeological point of view, this would be a lost opportunity to understand a site that is of potential national importance.

Southwell Community Archaeology Group Steering Group meeting with Mrs Ursilla Spence Nottinghamshire County Council’s senior archaeological officer.
Members of the steering group of SCAG met with Mrs Spence recently. Having come straight from the site she was able to bring the group broadly up to date with this fast moving investigation.
As reported in the local press the major interest centres at the moment on the investigation of a well preserved substantial Roman wall with remnants of stucco located in an area near the boundary of the Scheduled Ancient Monument. Early thoughts are that this wall indicates the presence of a high status building such as a temple or municipal building.
In addition substantial remains of a waterproof membrane and sparse remnants of Roman origin have been located towards the Potwell Dyke. One theory is that this was part of an area for ritual washing which would support the high status of the above building as a Roman temple. If this is so it provides evidence of a continuum of worship in this area for 2 millennia.There are hopes for the site or part of it to be open for public viewing and Mrs Spence is working closely with the site owner to achieve this.
Mrs Spence said this is a complicated site and any artefacts people might hold locally that have come in the past from the site would be invaluable in telling the story.
She would also be pleased to hear of any anecdotal accounts of archaeological finds when the school and additions were built.
If you have any information please e mail us info@southwellarchaeology.org.uk

Skeleton unearthed during dig
Newark Advertiser
By Dominic Howell
31/10/2008
A human skeleton has been found on a site earmarked for homes.
The bones of an adult male, believed to be from the medieval period, were discovered by archaeologists working on the former Minster School site at Church Street, Southwell.
The land is now owned by Kean Construction, which plans to build 37 homes on the site, a scheduled ancient monument. Before any building work is carried out, the company has paid for a full archaeological excavation of the area.
Archaeologists working on the dig are from a company called Pre-Construct Archaeology in Lincoln.
The bones were found on Friday. Police attended that afternoon and informed the Nottinghamshire coroner, Dr Nigel Chapman.
Because the site is surrounded by a fence which has electrical sensors on it, police decided that it was safe to leave the dig unattended over the weekend for further investigations on Monday.
Mrs Ursilla Spence, Nottinghamshire County Council’s senior archaeological officer, said: “The body of one individual has been found, orientated east to west with the head at the west, which is indicative of a Christian burial.
“ The body had been only part excavated, sufficient to indicate that it is not modern and that it is one individual.
“ The initial findings suggest that the body is of medieval date. This is based on a number of factors including wear on the teeth and lack of fillings, and is probably that of an adult male.
“ The body has been reported to the coroner and there are currently no plans to exhume the remains.
“ Previous excavations at the site have uncovered significant numbers of human burials; the dating and nature of these has never been fully understood. Current work may throw further light on the earlier discoveries.”
Mrs Spence said the remains would stay on site for the time being and the dig would continue until the archaeological importance of the site was evaluated.
She said Kean had been very supportive of the dig.
A member of the Southwell Archaeological Community Group, Mr Frederick Ardron (80) of Lower Kirklington Road, said: “This news is quite unsurprising. There have been hundreds of cases where bones have been found in this area.
“ It is, however, another example of the importance of this site, and careful consideration should be given before building takes place.”
The dig has already unearthed a fully-preserved 4ft Roman stone wall.
The wall, comprising of large dressed stone blocks, is considered of great importance and could be part of a more substantial building.

Stop Press - 24 October 2008 - Nottingham Evening Post
" Archaeologists have made an important discovery at the former site of the Minster School in Southwell.
A team excavating the site have found a fully preserved 4ft wall in the eastern wing of a Roman villa. Investigations are continuing, but it is thought the wall dates from the Roman period.
" This is a thing of great beauty and a rare find that will provoke national archaeological interest," said Notts County Councilor Steve Carroll, cabinet member for culture and regeneration.
Ursilla Spence, senior archaeological officer for Notts County Council, who is monitoring the archaeological work on behalf of Newark and Sherwood District Council, said: "Visitors are not allowed on to the site as it is not currently safe.
" However, we are all keen to see if we can make the site suitable for public access so that we can allow people the opportunity to see the remains at the appropriate time, possibly with an open day."
The Roman villa has been known about for several centuries, with discoveries of mosaics made in a number of different places around Vicar's Court.
Funding for the excavations has been provided by Kean Construction."