Swindon Connector Road

The Swindon Connector Road (SCR) was a road scheme linking the New Eastern Villages development to the Commonhead roundabout in East Swindon, Wiltshire. Collaboration between the client, consultant and contractors was in place from the start to create a detailed methodology for the road scheme to mitigate the impact of known archaeology on the development. Heritage assets known in the vicinity of the road included the Roman town of Durocornovium to the north, two Roman farmsteads towards the centre and to the south, with additional challenges of streams and field boundaries in between. The 1.5-mile-long scheme was divided into 14 archaeological zones and a total of 37 sub-areas, each requiring one of five archaeological methodologies covering geophysical survey, geoarchaeological test-pitting, two different types of full excavation depending on the expected archaeology present, and archaeological monitoring.

As principal contractor for the first six months of work, Headland Archaeology took the lead on the management of the site. This included successfully arranging welfare, road closures, site access, liaising with service providers, traffic management procedures, and site security. Headland were also required to programme the work around livestock movements to minimise disturbance to landowners and tenant farmers, as well as co-ordinate the work of ecologists, ground investigation contractors and engineers.

The narrow nature of the linear scheme meant complex logistical manoeuvres, often requiring multiple spoil movements with excavations taking place in tightly planned succession. The presence of a high-pressure water main within the site boundary alongside numerous overhead and underground services meant frequent liaison with service providers and other contractors on site. During the same period, we also provided archaeologists to monitor groundworks for the civils contractor, geophysicists to carry out geophysical survey, and a specialist geoarchaeologist to monitor GI test pitting.

During 2021, works extended northwards along the route of the road, with the excavation of a total of c. 61,000m2 of overburden removed from 19 areas across the scheme. Throughout the project, the archaeology team uncovered a previously unknown Roman stone trackway, a substantial Roman masonry structure, and three human burials, alongside numerous other features and artefacts.

The project was not without its challenges; ground conditions, utilities, flooding and unexpected discoveries all provided potential cost and programme implications. Key to the success of the project was our close working relationship with Swindon Borough Council and their consultant, Atkins, in designing and adapting methodologies on site to help manage the difficult ground conditions and mitigate the problems of an ever-changing environment.

Community Outreach and Public Engagement continue to form a large part of the deliverables from this project. A detailed and comprehensive programme of outreach activities was set in motion by our Community Archaeologist, in close collaboration with the client. Navigating the difficulties of a nationwide lockdown public talks, Q&A sessions, and a podcast were all delivered to the community, and ongoing projects such as information boards and a comic book for schools interpreting the results of the excavation continue the story of this project today.