Once home to ancient Stone Age communities, Sherford’s extensive history has been nationally recognised with the development securing a coveted nomination in the Current Archaeology Awards.
Celebrating the projects and teams that have made an outstanding contribution to archaeology, Sherford has been nominated in the ‘Rescue Project of the Year’ awards category – and public voting is now open.
The ongoing archaeology work at Sherford is funded by the Sherford Consortium and is being carried out by leading archaeology and heritage practice Wessex Archaeology, alongside Devon County Council and consultants, AECOM.
Archaeological investigations have been taking place at Sherford since work first began on the new town three years ago, with findings revealing that the landscape was once home to ancient communities, dating back over 6,000 years – proving that people were living in the area much earlier than previously thought.
Exciting findings, including the discovery of ancient artefacts, have helped to shed new light on how early Devon settlers lived, worked and died thousands of years ago.
Just some of the exciting unearthed artefacts include prehistoric pottery, Bronze Age tools, two roundhouses and barrows. One of the most significant and rare artefacts, which has recently been discovered, is a large amount of Neolithic pottery dating back to between 3800-3700BC. Other major discoveries also include tools used for sharpening metal objects, the remains of a bronze knife, as well as a large polished stone axe, which had been broken in two. It is expected that following examination, many of the artefacts will eventually be on public display at a local museum.
Melissa Cloke, sales and marketing director, Sherford Consortium said:
“Sherford’s landscape has been home to communities for thousands of years and it’s fantastic that its history, along with the work and dedication of our expert archaeology teams, has been nationally recognised.
“With more residents now living at Sherford than ever before, the town is quickly becoming a thriving new community, with an emerging history of its own. As one of the largest new developments in the region, it is also vital that its history is uncovered and protected as construction progresses.
“We are proud to be funding this work, which has provided a unique opportunity for people to find out more about early Devon communities, with exciting finds helping to shed new light on how families lived over 6,000 years ago. We hope that these findings will encourage more people to learn about the region’s rich and diverse history.”
Gareth Chaffey, Senior Project Manager for Wessex Archaeology said:
“We are delighted that our work at Sherford has been nominated for the award. Our excavations on the site have helped to show that the landscape around Sherford has been inhabited, utilised, farmed and developed over several millennia.
“The future of the site is inherently and intrinsically linked to its past. What is important is that future generations can learn how their town has developed over time and how that past will, in some part at least, define the development from here on in”.
Sherford is nominated in the ‘Rescue Project of the Year’ category in the Current Archaeology Awards. Voting is open until February 11 and votes can be cast at www.archaeology.co.uk/vote
For more information about Sherford, visit www.sherford.org.
