Archaeologists in Hailsham have discovered remains of an ancient Roman settlement, thought to date back to the late Iron Age era, on the site of a proposed housing development.
The remains, which come from a time long before household insurance was ever needed, are the first Roman discoveries made in the town. However, the historic site which includes items such as Roman pottery, is set to be flattened to make way for 450 new homes which are set to be built on the land.
Greg Chuter, assistant East Sussex County archaeologist, said “It was a surprise site and we weren’t expecting to find it as there is not very much Roman activity recorded in the area even though we suspected that it exists. It is quite important for Hailsham, we may find evidence of hunter gatherer activity of mobile communities moving around the landscape.”
At the moment there has only been a series of trenches dug across the area where Roman ditches with Roman pottery were uncovered. The next stage would be the full excavation of the area. What has been found so far is not rare or significant enough to stop the new houses being built. Whatever is found will be stored in a museum and preserved for local records before the area is destroyed by the developer.
In December 2008, the council gave the green light to a planning application for 460 properties. Now East Sussex County Council is speaking to the developer to try and see if a programme of excavation, recording and analysing can be carried out on the area before any construction starts.
Local resident, David Seaman, who lives on a property which overlooks the development thinks the whole area should be preserved saying “If there is anything Roman found it needs to be saved as it is part of our heritage.”