Church End Lower School

The pupils visited the site of a forthcoming development from David Wilson Homes, where they were shown around the excavation site by archaeologists.

Since starting the excavation in November as part of plans for the construction of new homes, the team at Albion Archaeology has uncovered pottery from the Iron Age and Roman times, animal bones and metal artefacts.

A small group of budding archaeologists were taken around the development and given a tour of the site. A classroom session was then given to the whole school year by one of the archaeologists and the pupils were able to handle many artefacts.

Church End Lower School

Miss Douglas, of Church End Lower School, said: “The children very much enjoyed their trip to the upcoming development. They were interested to learn about the different artefacts shown to them and were amazed at the selection of ancient objects the archaeologists had for them to explore.

“There was a lot of discussion following the visit, with many of the children excited about a future career in archaeology.”

The earliest finds date from the Iron Age – the period from about 750BC to the Roman Conquest in AD43.

Simon Mortimer, Director at CgMs Consulting, David Wilson Homes’ archaeological consultant, said: “The National Curriculum contains an increasing focus on prehistory and there is no better way of bringing that to life for school children than seeing the real thing on their doorstep.

Church End Lower School

“In order for there to be future generations of archaeologists we need to inspire children to take it up as a profession and these visits can help to do exactly that.”

The children who visited the site enjoyed the experience of visiting an ongoing excavation site and handling the finds. They engaged with the archaeologists and many of them asked questions about pursuing archaeology as a career and the work that they do.

A full analysis into the findings will be carried out once excavation at the site finishes and in due course, all of the findings at the development will be donated to The Higgins, Bedford.

John Dillon, Managing Director at David Wilson Homes South Midlands, said: “Building relationships with the local community is very important to us for any potential new housing development and we are delighted that we could give the children of Marston Moretaine a glimpse into their village’s distant past.”

Church End Lower School

For more information on any David Wilson Homes developments near you, call the sales team on 0844 811 4477 or visit www.dwh.co.uk