Geophysical surveys of the Abbey Gardens revealed the ground plan of Abingdon’s great medieval abbey church.
A Ground Penetrating Radar survey revealed details of how the church had been enlarged in stages over several centuries.
Period Archives
Abingdon Museum Lift Shaft
At a depth of nearly 2 metres below the modern pavement, an excavation beside the County Hall for a lift shaft found remains of Iron Age buildings.
Above these was a Roman road with wheel ruts in it. It had been resurfaced with gravel several times. In medieval times, the site seems to have been been open land, part of Abingdon’s Market Place.
Clothing Factory
Remains of Abingdon’s clothing factory, a major establishment in the 19th century, were found in an excavation in West St Helen Street in 1977.
Roman pottery, a medieval ditch which was probably a property boundary, and much medieval butchery waste were also found. The site is now occupied by the St Helen’s Church Centre.
Twickenham House
Early Bronze Age pottery, traces of Iron Age occupation, an early Roman building, and medieval and later pits and refuse dumps were found in an excavation in the gardens of Twickenham House in 1987.
Human bones which may have been anatomical specimens belonging to a 19th century surgeon who had lived there were also found.
North side of Vineyard
Salvage excavations while building work was taking place here in 1977 to 1978 found a Roman cremation burial with a pottery flagon, a human burial which was probably prehistoric or Roman and a medieval kiln, possibly for malting. Other ditches and pits which may have been Iron Age or Roman were recorded.
Morland’s Brewery
When the Morland’s Brewery site in Ock Sreet was redeveloped, a number of archaeological trenches were dug at different points across the site.
The site was quite intensively used from about 1100 AD onwards, with some evidence from earlier periods. The remains of a medieval tannery were found, showing that this had long been an industrial area.
Enock’s Yard
Remains of a medieval tannery were found in excavations at 75 Ock Street in 1999, before the site was developed for housing.
Roman ditches, and medieval remains mainly of the 11th to 13th centuries were also found. These included foundations of at least three buildings close to Ock Street, and many rubbish pits.
Mr Warrick’s Arms
Remains of buildings of the 13th and 14th centuries, set on either side of a stone-paved alleyway, were found here.
This shows that the medieval town was larger than once though, extending a long way down Ock Street.
30 East St Helen Street
Lombard Street
Fragments of a decorated Islamic glass beaker, made in Cairo in about 1250 AD were found in an excavation by AAAHS in 1983.
The beaker is is decorated with an inscription which says ‘Glory to Our Lord the Sultan’, and a horseman with polo sticks.
The beaker was found in a pit of the 15th century, about two hundred years later than the beaker was made. It is not known how or exactly when the beaker came to Abingdon.
The work was in the cellar and back garden of a medieval house which was being redeveloped. Roman and medieval remains were also found.