Pieces of town’s history discovered following car park work 

Pieces of Abingdon’s rich history have been unearthed following car park improvement works. 

Vale of White Horse District Council carried out work to Cattle Market car park, including installing a rain garden to help mitigate flooding. 

As part of the works, archaeological work was carried out by ADAS, in advance, to investigate the site and the likely impact of the proposed project.  

The proposed plans for the car park were revised to ensure as much of the archaeological remains were preserved in situ.  

In early 2025, ADAS archaeologists were present during the groundworks and uncovered two separate deep soil deposits, layered one on top of the other, which was immediately sealed below the car park surface. 

Among the finds discovered in the upper layer were a large quantity of Romano-British pottery, including a fragment of Samian ware, a high-quality glossy red Roman tableware pottery, manufactured in southern Gaul (France). 

Other finds included animal bone from cattle, sheep and even a fallow deer, oyster shell, medieval and post medieval pottery and glass, and a fragment of a 17th century clay smoking pipe. 

The lower layer produced mostly Roman pottery and a 4th century coin with a small quantity of later pottery and medieval roofing tiles.  

Councillor Robert Clegg, Vale of White Horse District Council Cabinet Member for Environmental Services and Waste, said: “Not only have we been able to make improvements to Cattle Market car park that should help with flooding issues but thanks to the diligence of our officers, it also meant we could discover more of the rich history of Abingdon.”