Rotherwas Archaeological Finds

Archaeological evaluation undertaken in advance of the construction of a relief road revealed prehistoric remains including possibly a deliberately fire cracked surface with associated pits and post holes. English Heritage staff visited the site to help advise the local authority on its evaluation and the future management of the remains.

The remains are extremely fragile and, in keeping with good archaeological practice, it is our view that, after recording, the most appropriate solution would be to preserve them in-situ.

There have been calls for English Heritage to ‘stop the road’. We are not in a position to pass judgement on whether the planned road should go ahead. Our role is to act as an impartial assessor of the importance of the archaeological remains in a national context and to provide technical advice to the local authority.

English Heritage has received a number of requests to schedule the site. We are considering whether it meets the legal tests and criteria for scheduling, however, further analysis and interpretation of the site and the surrounding area will be required before a recommendation is made to the Department of Culture, Media and Sport. This analysis will take some time and it is not expected that a decision on scheduling will be made in the immediate future. Herefordshire Council’s archaeological contractors are now working on a full report on the site, and English Heritage is giving technical assistance to this process.

English Heritage
August 2007