The Roman villa site at Alpheton villa is one of several substantial villa complexes in Suffolk and it is in the vicinity of the large roadside settlement of Long Melford, located close to a Roman road linking Chelmsford with the Roman small towns at Long Melford and Pakenham. It also lies near the boundary between the territories of the Iceni and the Trinovantes, the two British tribes centrally involved in the Boudiccan rebellion of AD 60-61. First identified by the landowner, archaeological investigations since the 1980s have shown that the villa site extends across more than 15 hectares.
From May to July 2026, archaeological excavations were undertaken at Alpheton, building on these previous investigations. This year marks the start of an exciting collaboration between Suffolk County Council Archaeological Service (SCCAS) and the University College London (UCL) Institute of Archaeology, as part of the Romans Unearthed project funded by The National Lottery Heritage Fund.
A team of professional archaeologists, UCL students, and local volunteers worked together to investigate parts of the villa complex, including buildings, enclosure ditches and a bath house. A huge thank you to the 169 volunteers and school children who took part in the excavation and the 177 visitors who attended the various organised tours.
UCL led the fieldwork as it forms part of their undergraduate field school, giving students essential training in archaeological fieldwork while contributing to new research. At the same time, SCCAS through the Romans Unearthed project involved local people focussing on primary schools, Suffolk Mind and Suffolk Family Carers, who may not otherwise have the chance to take part in archaeology.
Explore the information below to learn more about the discoveries. The Alpheton Roman villa site is on private farmland and there is no public access to the excavations.
Check out the articles below for updates following the excavation as it progresses.
Week 1 & 2 (2026) - Unearthing Alpheton Roman Villa
The team have been setting up the site, getting the facilities delivered and opening up the trenches. Read the article to find out more about what we already know about Alpheton villa and what we hope to investigate this summer.
Read the "Unearthing Alpheton Roman Villa" article on our blog »
Week 3 & 4 (2026) - Excavations Update, Alpheton
Work on site is underway. Four trenches have been opened to investigate the villa complex and UCL students have started cleaning the trenches and excavating and recording pits and postholes. Read the article to find out about the archaeological discoveries so far.
Read the Excavation Update for Week 4 on our blog »
Week 5 & 6 (2026) - Excavations Update, Alpheton
Excavation continues! Over the last two weeks we have had volunteers on site alongside the UCL students, including 56 school children from Castle Hill Primary School in Ipswich, and volunteers from local societies. They have revealed more of the bathhouse - including impressions of a Roman shoeprint! - and started excavating rubbish pits. Read the article to find out about these new discoveries.
Read the Excavation Update for Week 6 on our blog »
Week 7 & 8 (2026) - Excavations Update, Alpheton
Joining the team were a new cohort of students from University College London, the Year 4 class from Lavenham Primary School, young people from the Suffolk Family Carers and clients from Suffolk Mind, continuing excavations of the buildings and pits. An unusual find included a probable handle from a scalpel, found in the enclosure ditch in Trench 6.
Read the Excavation Update for Week 8 on our blog »
The Final Weeks (2026) - Excavations Update, Alpheton
During the final two weeks of excavation, we were joined by volunteers from local groups and Year 6 class from Lawshall Primary School. A number of organised tours also took place for the public and local societies. The team continued to excavate, clean and record the archaeological features before the trenches were backfilled at the end of the season. Finds included tesserae, an iron knife blade and a near complete copper alloy brooch, as well as a lot of building materials, including roof tiles, iron nails and window glass.
Read the final Excavation Update on our blog »
Community involvement is funded by The National Lottery Heritage Fund. The archaeological excavations are supported by lead partner University College London, Institute of Archaeology
