SNN72409 - Archaeological Investigations Along The Line Of The A45 Between Higham Ferrers And Stanwick, Northamptonshire 1994-5

A programme of archaeological excavation, related geophysical survey and subsequent development-observation was undertaken in connection with modern carriageway widening of the A45 road as it passes between the parishes of Higham Ferrers and Raunds, Northants. The work was carried out on behalf of the Northamptonshire County Council Planning and Transportation Department between October 1994 and August 1995. Isolated features were identified along the route but a Roman settlement centred upon NGR SP96857100 forms the only significant archaeological remains. Three stone buildings set within walled yards and other boundaries, together with another four structures found by previous work outside the corridor, denote occupation from the second to fourth centuries AD. In the absence of wider investigation it is uncertain if the remains are those of a substantial farm or another type of settlement. These discoveries further demonstrate the considerable density of Roman settlement in the Nene Valley, which has been identified previously from intensive work undertaken by The Raunds Area Project where substantial excavation has taken place on the neighbouring sites of Stanwick and Redlands Farm (Neal 1989; Keevill 1991).