Ancient roundhouse and artefacts revealed during wind farm excavations

Evidence of two ancient roundhouses and domestic artefacts including a clay cup and an intriguing stone tool have been discovered during initial archaeological excavations in north Wales as part of preparatory works for an offshore wind farm.

The remains, which could date back as far as the iron age (800BC-48AD) or the period of the Roman occupation (48AD-410AD), were unearthed as part of a pre-construction archaeological trial trench survey for the Awel y Môr offshore wind farm.

These fascinating discoveries are just the first glimpse of the archaeology of the site, and as the project continues it is hoped further excavation and research can reveal further insight into the area’s past.

Construction

The project team is now planning for further detailed investigations ahead of the beginning of construction at the site in Denbighshire, west of St Asaph Business Park, which will eventually be home to the project’s onshore substation.

Other recent work to prepare for construction has included borehole investigations along the underground cable route, plus the creation of  an improved habitat for great crested newts at the substation.

Liz Statham, Project Officer from Wessex Archaeology said: “Using geophysical techniques before we begin an archaeological dig allows us to see beneath the soil across large areas which is really exciting as it means that we can start to build a picture of the archaeology of a relatively wide area

“At the Awel y Môr onshore substation site, the geophysical survey revealed evidence of two ancient roundhouses measuring around 10m across. It’s highly likely that these would have been set within fields and paddocks where animals were kept and crops were grown.”

Liz added: “After the survey, we dug trial trenches and found evidence that confirmed this, including animal bones which suggest cattle, sheep and pigs were being kept, as well as some finds that give a glimpse into what everyday life might have looked like in this settlement, including a stone with a hole that could have been using for weaving cloth, and a tiny clay cup.

“This site sits on what is now the modern B5381 which goes west from St Asaph to Moelfre and it is thought to follow the course of a Roman road, so it might be that this settlement was built or enlarged based on the opportunities the road provided for trade and transport.”

Power

Awel y Môr Offshore Wind Farm is being developed by energy generator, RWE, on behalf of partners.

Once complete, the wind farm will be able to generate power equivalent to the needs of more than half the homes in Wales.

Tamsyn Rowe, Project Lead for Awel y Môr, said: “One of the great benefits of developments like Awel y Môr, as well as the  jobs they create and renewable energy they generate, is how we can use them to help build our understanding of the places they’re in.

“As well as this, RWE has also been able to part-fund a PhD looking at the undersea conditions off the north Wales coast and how it changed in the last ice age, which also has implications for our engineering and design.

“The team and I all look forward to finding out more in the coming months, as our work progresses.”

RWE has more than two decades’ experience in offshore wind in the UK, having developed and built the country’s first commercial-scale offshore wind farm, also off the coast of north Wales, at North Hoyle.

Elsewhere in the region, RWE is also progressing plans for onshore wind farms at Gaerwen and Alwen Forest.

RWE is developing Awel y Môr with project partners Stadtwerke München (30 per cent) and Siemens Financial Services (10 per cent).