9th April 2015:

Archaeologists from OA South office are currently excavating the Provost's Garden of Queen's College, Oxford, ahead of the construction of an underground library. Queen's College is one of the oldest colleges in Oxford, and we are currently within the medieval levels. We are finding vast quantities of artefacts...and we'd love you to see them!

Do come to our open day on Saturday 18th April from 11am - 3.30pm to take a tour of the site and look at some of the artefacts. Click here to download a flyer.

The excavations have so far revealed evidence for lots of undocumented activity in the post medieval College gardens including large quantities of finds from the first half of the 17th century including clay pipes (with makers stamps) pottery, spoons, and spurs. These finds may indicate that the garden was used as a billeting area for troops during the Civil War when Oxford was inhabited by the King and the Royalist Army.

There are late 17th Century paths and planting holes associated with garden layout as illustrated on drawings from the 17th century, and also walls and surfaces that are probably structures associated with the library construction (workshops/ storage buildings) and subsequent 18th century demolition of the medieval college and complete rebuilding.

There are also early 18th century Latrine pits and kitchen waste dumping pits and some artefacts have been retrieved from two infilled Second World War, Anderson type, bomb shelters known to be on the site.

The excavations are currently focusing on the Saxon and medieval remains that underlie the site.