Teams from Oxford Cotswold Archaeology (OCA) have returned to the field as part of the next phase of the A66 Northern Trans-Pennine Improvement Project, for National Highways being delivered by Balfour Beatty-Atkins, AUREOS, and Kier. The archaeological work is being undertaken with the support of Heritage teams from AtkinsRéalis, Jacobs, and RPS-TetraTech.
Following the successful completion of the first phase of works in Spring 2024, which uncovered significant new insights into the Eden Valley prehistoric and historic landscape, the next stage of archaeological investigations promises to expand on these discoveries.
The initial phase revealed new evidence of human activity dating back as far as the Late Upper Palaeolithic, between 14,000 and 12,000 years ago after the end of the last Ice Age. Other finds, spanning the Mesolithic and Neolithic periods (8,000-6,000 years ago), offer a glimpse into how ancient communities adapted to changing climates and environments, providing insights that resonate today in the context of climate change and biodiversity loss.
This directly contributes to one of the key objectives of the investigations, which is to map the history of climate and environmental change along the route over time, and human adaptation to this.
In addition to these findings, evidence dating to a more settled existence in the Bronze Age and Iron Ages, as well as the Roman and Early Medieval periods, has also been identified. Notably, the A66 follows a Roman road across the Pennines, and the first phase discoveries provide important new information about trade and cultural connections between this region and the wider Roman Empire (for more details on the discoveries of the previous phase, click here). This road itself follows a much older routeway along which cultural exchange happened.
National Highways, along with the Delivery Partners and the archaeologists from OCA, are excited to continue uncovering Cumbria’s rich history in this new phase of the A66 project. The discoveries made so far have helped pinpoint areas that are particularly promising for yielding further insights into the region’s archaeological and historical heritage.
The ongoing excavations are now centred on Brougham, near Penrith, and Brough, north of Kirkby Stephen, with future investigations planned for Kirkby Thore and Crackenthorpe. At Brougham, OCA archaeologists are excavating the area near the Roman fort, while west of Brough, fieldwalking and excavation efforts are focused on identifying potential prehistoric sites.
Fieldwalking, a non-invasive survey method, allows archaeologists to search for prehistoric stone tools and other artefacts that might have been brought to the surface over centuries of ploughing. This method is particularly well-suited for this part of the investigation.
A public engagement programme will also be launched in the near future, giving local communities an opportunity to explore the project’s exciting findings.
You can find out more about the A66 Northern Trans-Pennine Upgrade on the National Highways’ project page A66 Northern Trans-Pennine – National Highways
Original article by Maria Bellissimo (Communications Manager)
https://oxfordcotswoldarchaeology.org.uk/news/a66-northern-trans-pennine-resumes
