Prehistoric Worthing unearthed

Roz Tappenden went to meet the archaeologists at Northbrook Farm who are unearthing ancient history.

Archaeologists may have discovered a prehistoric settlement at the St Barnabas’ Hospice building site.

Experts have been drafted in to examine the site at Titnore Lane, West Durrington, Worthing, before the new hospice is built.

Although the dig is in its early stages, they have already unearthed a prehistoric boundary and items including a Bronze Age ring and a medieval silver coin. The majority of the evidence found, however, is Roman, from the 1st century AD.

Phil Emery, of London-based archaeological consultants Gifford, said: “It is a very large area that is being excavated and we have already got lots of finds.

“There is lots of prehistoric and Roman pottery and worked flints and a lot of metal detector finds like coins, buckles and later material.

The most significant find has been a bronze ring.”

The dig was ordered by West Sussex County Council after a previous development on the neighbouring plot revealed a Roman villa.

John Mills, archaeologist for the council, said: “Our job is to advise on any development that requires planning permission.

Northbrook College is just the other side of the fence and when it was first built and extended in the 1970s and 1980s, there was evidence of a Roman villa and a bath house and Iron Age finds, so we knew the area was of archaeological interest.

“We know from work carried out between the buildings in 1997 that there was a large Roman flinted barn.”

The site had been earmarked three years ago for a BMW car dealership but the development was never started.

Thirty trial pits were dug, revealing what appeared to be another Bronze Age building along with Iron Age and Roman ditches and enclosures.

Ditches containing Neolithic flint work were also discovered. Mr Mills said: “It was all buried shallowly with only a small amount of topsoil. The site is of regional and local importance and tells us about the Roman, Iron Age and Bronze Age.”

The north part of the site and south-west corner have revealed several Roman features, such as ditches and Iron Age features, but the majority of the evidence is from the 1st century AD. Field work manager Andy Leonard said: “As you excavate more, you get a bigger picture of how it all relates to each other. We have only just started putting slots into the ground so it is early days.

“It’s great, to be honest, when someone wants to develop a site because there’s a potential to dig and find out what’s in there. It’s great, when you have found something good, to come back and to do it properly and, in a big open area like this, is quite exciting.”

Excavation manager Chris Clarke said: “The ring was one of our metal detector finds. We are all very interested in something like that because it is very unusual.

“Whenever we find something, I like to take it and show the other guys on the site.

“We are finding a lot of musket balls and there are also mediaeval, Georgian and Victorian buttons.

“We have found a lot of flint flecks and each period of time has its own style of pottery, which we can use to date the features.

“The fragments are only small, about 4 or 5cm, and from the early prehistoric features are fragments of tools made from flint.

“What we are finding is the rubbish – things that people have thrown away. You have got to imagine we are digging through people’s waste pits – that’s why it’s nice to find things like a bronze ring.

“The silver penny would be like you or I losing a pound coin. You would not necessarily go hunting to find it again but you would be annoyed to have lost it. These are the kind of finds we get excited about.”

Archaeologist Geoffrey Marshall said: “The way the ditch is set around there it may join up, in which case this could be a major enclosure, probably late prehistoric.

“All the pottery we get out of this will be assessed by specialists.”

From next month, Worthing Archaeological Society will be assisting with the excavation and members of the public will also be allowed to take part under guidance.

Visitors will also be able to attend site tours as well as clean and catalogue finds from this Saturday at 10am, 11am and midday.

Tours will also take place on September 6, 13, 20 and 27. Advance booking is essential. To book a place contact excavation manager Chris Clarke 07808 730226.

To join in the dig, contact Worthing Archaeological Society field director Keith Bolton by emailing ka.bolton@virgin.net.

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