Archaeologists have announced they found evidence of a Roman glass-making industry in fields that are currently the subject of the most controversial planning row in Bristol.
A field team from the Cirencester-based Cotswold Archaeology were tasked with investigating land at Brislington Meadows in South Bristol by Homes England, which wants to build 260 new homes on land local residents regard as a nature reserve.
A planning application has been submitted for the site, despite the Mayor of Bristol - who persuaded Homes England to buy the land to develop it and then decided it should be protected.
Read more: Aftermath of Northern Slopes fire shows just how close it came to homes
As part of the planning application, Homes England had to instruct an archaeological survey, and this was done in the autumn of 2021, and only now has Cotswold Archaeology written up their findings.
A previous geophysical survey of the land had indicated an area of interest, and the dig in the south west of the site confirmed that there was a ditch and enclosure system there - around 900 yards from Brislington’s Roman Villa.
Cotswold Archaeology’s Alex Thomson said they were able to work out the site was established as a settlement between the 2nd and 4th centuries - at the height of Roman Britain. “The most interesting finds related to a small quantity of industrial waste, including a crucible fragment, along with an assemblage of glass beads and glass-waste, possibly indicative of small-scale industrial activity on the site,” he reported.
“The enclosure’s ditches were relatively uniform in size and profile, and this uniformity suggests they were contemporary and formed a planned system of enclosure, established between the 2nd and 4th centuries.
“Following environmental processing of a soil sample taken from a posthole in the centre of the enclosure system, an incredible 72 Roman glass beads and fragments of glass-waste were identified.
“It is currently unclear whether the beads represent a single string of beads (such as a necklace), but it’s a real possibility. Their association with glass vessel fragments and glass-waste is noteworthy, possibly suggesting that manufacture of such items took place at the site, or that they had been cached ahead of being recycled.
“The forms and colours of the beads suggest a date no earlier than the 4th century. It’s of note that similar glass beads have previously been recovered from the site of Brislington Roman Villa, approximately 900m west of our site, which was occupied during the late 3rd and 4th centuries AD,” he added.
The archaeological report has now been sent to Bristol City Council planners as part of the planning application process.
Homes England bought the land at Brislington Meadows for around £15 million at the suggestion of Bristol City Council in 2020. Most of the land belonged to a London-based housing developer, a large chunk belonged to the council itself, and a strip along the road belonged to local businessman Johnny Palmer.
The council persuaded Homes England to take over ownership of all the land to fast-track a development of 300 new homes there, including 90 council houses.
But within 12 months, the Mayor of Bristol Marvin Rees announced that he’d changed his mind and, on the advice of Avon Wildlife Trust, had decided no homes should be built there at all, because of the city’s ecological crisis.
That left Homes England with what is effectively a £15 million nature reserve, so they came back with fresh plans for 260 new homes, which is currently going through the planning process.
Read Next: As it happened, the Brislington Meadows saga
April 2020 - Council persuades Homes England to buy the land
Oct 2021 - Homes England return with new plans for 260 homes
April 2022 - Planning application for homes on Brislington Meadows
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