Monument record MNL 637 - West Row Primary School, Mildenhall

2010: An archaeological evaluation, carried out on land at West Row Primary School, Mildenhall, has identified substantial evidence of Roman activity in the 2nd-4th centuries. The results, in combination with previous work to the north and south, indicate that a spread of Roman occupation evidence extends across the school grounds. A dense spread of features indicates relatively intense activity. The finds assemblage and environmental evidence suggests domestic occupation, probably a rural, agricultural farmstead, and indicates that a building with a tiled roof lay in the immediate vicinity. Later Roman deposits or occupation soils may have been removed by subsequent activity such as ploughing. Recommendations have been made to excavate in full the footprint of a proposed school extension, whilst other deposits can be left in situ below a proposed playground, depending upon the method of construction (S1). Included in the Proceedings of the Suffolk Institute of Archaeology and History annual round up of individual finds and discoveries for 2010 (S3).

2011: Archaeological excavation and monitoring were carried out on the playground and sports field at West Row Primary School, Mildenhall, Suffolk. The work revealed well preserved and intensive use of the site throughout the Roman period, indicated by a large quarry pit and a poorly surviving soil layer, both of which contained large quantities of pottery and animal bone, as well as CBM, fired clay, quernstone, iron nails, marine shells, and other material. There were also several smaller late Roman pits/small linear features. Roman coins were found scattered over both areas of the fieldwork. The finds, as well as the environmental samples indicated that it is likely that many agricultural and food processing tasks were occurring nearby, possibly to supply the local villa, although it is thought that a domestic structure of some importance is also likely to have been located close to or on the site. Other features included two ditches which were probably post-medieval and are likely to have been part of the fenland agricultural drainage works in the area.